Where I Belong
by Jalen Writes It All
Summary: Peter and Charlotte save a little girl from a nomad. When they don't know what else to do, they take her in and raise her as their own. Jasper feels he's missing something in his life. He thought he found hope in Alice, but he's slowly sinking into depression. He finds what he's been missing, when he finds his true mate in Charlotte and Peter's adopted daughter. Jasper/Bella
1. Where I Belong

**Where I Belong**

**Chapter 1**

* * *

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Train Song by Ben Gibbard and Feist_

**October 27, 1991 **  
**Phoenix, Arizona**

**Charlotte Whitlock POV**

Phoenix criminals are such pigs. I swear, _every single time _Peter and I pass through this town, we _always _catch a rapist to feast on. Gladly ridding the world of another dreg of society, and maybe saving a couple of women from getting raped in the future. It also satisfies the hell out of Peter and I; their blood always seems sweeter when you know that you're killing this fucker who likes to hurt women. Yeah, you're welcome, Phoenix.

My mate and I are nomads, travelling around the world. We're not satisfied staying in one place for too long, always getting bored and wanting to see what else is out there. We do own a couple of different houses around the continental United States, however. Just in case we're in the mood for a bed, or for relaxing. We have one in Texas, which we consider our "main home." It's the one we stay at the most, the one that feels the most like home. We have others in Montana, Oregon, and Canada.

Turning my head, I look to my mate, Peter. God, I love him. Ever since I first woke up and laid eyes on him, I knew he was mine, and I was his. He knew it, too. Maria assigned him to babysit the newborns when they first woke up, which he fucking hated. I distinctly remember opening my eyes, seeing his face, and something clicking in me. A burst of love and possessiveness ran through me like molten lave through my veins. He looked at me, and smiled, knowing that I was his. That's where our rocky love story started.

Of course, that bitch wasn't too thrilled about mates, so we had to express our love in secrecy. Meeting away from the camp, not being able to mate properly. Not being able to claim each other with our bites in fear of her seeing them. Damn, if that wasn't the toughest shit I ever went through. Damn little hussy newborns with their eyes all over my mate, and I wanted to kill them. Maria would reward her higher-ups with sex from the more controlled females, Peter always making sure that he picked me. Maria always had the Major to herself, stringing him along.

Then, my year was up. The days prior, Peter and I were getting panicky. We didn't know what to do, we didn't think there was anything that we _could _do. Peter begged the Major to spare me, to let me live. Telling him that I was still of use to them. The Major didn't listen, Maria's claws were too far in him. She said jump, he said how high. He did _everything _for that bitch, all because he thought they were mates. He was the puppet, she pulled the strings. We all saw it, and we all felt bad for him...of course, not around him. He would feel it and then beat the absolute shit out of us. I inwardly shudder at the thought, remembering some of the beatings the other female newborns got, not just from him. The other higher ups did as well. Peter protected me as much as he could, and thankfully, I was never on the end of a beating.

When it was my time of disposal, Peter went fucking livid! A male is damn protective of his mate, and that's how he was. I swear, I thought he was going to try to fight the Major right then and there. I have faith in him, but he would lose. They don't call him the 'God of War' for nothing. Jasper then looked at Peter, confused as all hell, but his emphatic gift must have picked up on the love he was radiating. Peter told me to run while the Major was distracted, and I did. I ran and ran, praying to whatever God was listening for the Major to spare my mate, to let him live. I got as far as Corpus Christi, when Peter caught up to me, explaining how the Major just told him to run. Peter didn't think twice, and ran.

That was the first act of compassion the Major ever showed, well, public act. He was ruthless, arrogant, and most of all, lethal. He was also a rare occurence, in fact, I don't think that this ever happened any other time. We decline in strength and speed after our newborn year, but not the Major. He fucking got stronger and faster! Of course, this was one of the reasons Mistress Maria kept him around, that and his gift. He had control of the newborns, but not control of himself. No, that was all Maria.

Peter and I travelled as nomads for a couple of years, when my mate's "all knowing" gift told him to head east, and we met up with none other than the Major. Peter and him were friends, well, as close as they could get to that word. Now, they're like brothers. I was still wary around him back then, seeing as how he was about to kill me without a second thought. I still respected the hell out of him and still do. I'm forever grateful as well. He let us live, staying back to take Maria's punishment. He still doesn't talk about what happened that day, but something in him snapped. Whatever she did, that shit belongs in nightmares. He stayed with us for a while, trying to live with our lifestyle, when he said he couldn't do it anymore. We parted ways, the Major heading up to Philadelphia, while we headed west. We stayed in contact throughout the years, Peter using his gift to run into him a couple of times.

His eyes shocked the hell out of me the first time we saw him after we parted. They were gold! Apparently in Philadelphia, he met this vampire named Alice, who can see the future. She said that they were mates and that she was going to take him to a Coven who feed on animals, not wanting to feed and kill humans. He said that the animal blood turns your eyes gold, easier to blend in with humans. He also said that the Coven leader is a doctor. A doctor! How in the hell can he stand to be around that blood while operating and not be tempted? I'll never know.

I remember when we first met Miss Alice, and her immediate distaste for us. Right back at ya, sweet pea. She said that we were bad influences on "Jazzy" because of our diet, it would tempt him to slip. Peter told me that they weren't mates, and I think Jasper knew it as well, but he was lonely and desperate. All he craved was some hope, and he got it from her. Peter and I could see changes in Jasper with her, bending to her every will. He would have never stood for that in the past. Mate or not! I guess that with that Coven, he felt like he finally belonged somewhere. We tried to convince him that he belonged with us, but he couldn't deal with the diet.

I think the scariest thing was, that it seemed to be a repeat of the past. Alice was manipulative and controlling...just like Maria. Why would he go from one manipulative bitch to the other, I don't know. She gave him hope, but he needs more. I don't need to be an empath to see that there isn't any love between them. So, we parted again. We barely saw each other after that, Alice always convincing him to not visit us or contact us. It was hard on Peter, who saw him like a brother, Jasper feeling the same.

Peter and I have been nomads for the last sixty years. All over the globe, but now we're passing through Phoenix for a meal. It's getting late, the watch on my arm saying that it's almost midnight. Time doesn't really matter to us, I only have a watch to tell when the sun will rise so our sparkly asses don't get caught in the Arizona sun.

We move briskly through the town, our thirst satisfied by a pair of rapists. They were cornering some girl outside of a bar, so Peter and I caught their attention, giving the girl the opportunity to escape. Some of the men in this town are just awful, the things we've seen men do to women. Yet, _we're_ the monsters.

Peter and I follow an empty road, until a familiar scent catches our nose. Vampire, the scent not even an hour old. I share a glance with my mate, him frowning as he follows the scent, wanting to check and see if he's going to cause any trouble. We run towards the scent, finding blood permeating the air about two miles down the road. Idiot is feeding on a road! He's either new or an inexperienced idiot. We hear the vampire's growls, and we start to turn away to our original route, until I hear something that sends chills up my spine.

A small sob.

I immediately whip around, headed towards the vampire with Peter following behind me. There are some things where Peter and I draw the line, feeding on a human child is one of them! Maybe it's the maternal instinct that's buried inside of me, but I will not feed on a child, nor will I allow someone else to.

We see down the road a car, the unfamiliar vampire holding a body to him while he drinks. Fucking idiot is feeding in plain sight! Peter and I share a glance, realizing that we're going to have to take care of this vampire, so we approach him. His head snaps up at us, growling menacingly while Peter and I growl right back.

"Sorry, there isn't enough for you. Get your own." the vampire hisses while I roll my eyes.

"Your feeding on a main road. Are you trying to risk exposure?" I growl at him, Peter stepping in front of me, blocking me from the vampire. I then hear the sob again and turn my heads toward the car, seeing a little brunette head peek up with the biggest brown eyes I've ever seen, full of tears. I widen my eyes and move to go to her, but the asshole vampire stops me.

"Don't even think about it, that's my dessert." he growls at me, Peter growling right back at him.

"Don't you dare growl at my mate." Peter warns in a low and lethal voice. Peter is a sarcastic and goofy asshole, but if you disrespect me, he's got a bad temper.

"You're sick, she's just a child." I snarl, absolutely livid. He will not touch this little girl, no fucking way. In a flash, the vampire leaps at Peter who catches him, pinning him to the ground with no effort while I hurry over to block the little girl's sight, not wanting her to see my mate dismember this petulant vampire. Peter easily snaps his head off, before ripping off his arms and legs. Good fucking riddance.

"I'll go take care of this, stay here with her." Peter says, gather up all of his limbs and hurrying to a place where he can burn him. Sometimes, there are vampires out there who shouldn't be "alive."

Hearing a sniffle, I turn my head back to the little girl in the backseat, seeing her curled up in a ball while her body shakes with silent sobs. I approach the backseat, opening it up and slowly getting inside the car while she cringes away from me. "Hey, sweet thing. It's alright, I won't hurt you." I murmur, not wanting to frighten the girl. I'm assuming that woman was her mama, and she just saw he get drained by a vampire. Poor thing.

The little girl lifts her head up, little tears rolling down her pale cheeks. Her tiny lip is quivering as she looks at me, confused and still afraid. I remain where I am, not wanting to frighten her even more than she already is. "Where is my mommy?"

Oh, shit. Okay, how the hell do I break this in gently? Is there a way to break it in? Should I just flat out tell her, or lie? "Did the bad man get her?" she asks me, snapping me out of my inner rant.

I sigh and run my hands through my hair. I was not prepared for this at all. "Yeah, sweetheart. The bad man got her, but now she's in heaven." A couple more tears roll down her cheeks at this revelation. I wanna reach out and hug this girl, comfort her in some way, but I don't want to scare her.

"She's with my daddy, now." Fuck! Now this little baby doesn't have any parents. I feel Peter approaching and turn my head, seeing him walking towards us slowly. The little girl tenses up at the sight and actually moves closer to me.

"It's okay, sweet thing. That's just Peter, my ma-...husband."

"Took care of the bastard." Peter says quietly so the little thing won't hear. I notice that the girl kept moving closer to me, now she's against my side in the backseat of the car. "Hello, Little Bit." Peter says, peeking around me to see her while she hides from him.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" I softly ask her as she looks up to me.

"Bella." she tells me and I smile at her.

"Hi, Bella. I'm Charlotte. Do you have some family where we could take you, Bella?" I ask her and she shakes her head, looking down.

"Grandma died last year." Shit. Okay, Charlotte, think.

"Where can we take her? Should we take her to an orphanage or something?" I ask Peter, speaking at a decibel that Bella won't hear. Peter follows suit as he thinks. Sometimes, I wish his gift was just a bit more effective, then we would know how the hell to get out of this.

"What about her daddy?" he asks, and I shake my head.

"Dead."

"Well, I guess the orphanage our best option." Peter says, while I just looks down at the little girl next to me. She looks up with a tiny frown, like she knows we were talking. Her brown eyes are huge and full of some fear and sadness. Oh, God. I can't bring this girl to an orphanage where there's only a chance she'll get adopted. I can just imagine her getting passed around from foster home to foster home.

"Char, baby, what are you thinking?" he asks, still talking quietly.

"We can't drop her off at an orphanage. What if she doesn't get adopted?" I ask him, looking down at the little girl who's actually curling up to me, while keeping an eye on Peter.

"Baby, that's our only option." Peter replies while a light bulb goes off in my head.

"Not our only option..."

"You aren't thinking of..."

"We'll take her back to the Texas house until we figure something out." I tell him while he shakes his head.

"Char, I know you feel bad for her, and so do I, but we can't keep human child!" He quietly hisses while I look back down to Bella, seeing her eyes drooping while she lets out a small yawn.

"Why not?" I ask, not taking my eyes from her, slowly placing my arm around the drowsy girl and pulling her to me. I think she's so tired, she doesn't even notice.

"Because...because...we're vampires, Char! We ain't exactly experts on humans. Especially of the, uh..._teacup_ variety." he says, gesturing to Bella while I scoop her up in my arms and start to get out of the car. My eye catches on a purse in the front seat, so I grab it and exit the car, throwing it to Peter while cradling the little girl to me.

He catches the bag and opens it, pulling out a wallet. "Renée Swan." he says, looking at the dead lady on the ground, who I shield Bella from, not wanting her to see her mama. He then pulls out a picture, I see that it's the woman, a man with brown hair and eyes, mirroring like the little girl in my arms, and who I assume is a baby Bella.

"Peter, if we bring her to an orphanage. She will be bounced around from foster home to foster home, a chance of her not getting adopted." I plead her case to him while he sighs.

"You know the rules of humans finding out about vampires. The Volturi will have our asses and then kill her." I can't help the growl that escapes my throat at the thought of the Volturi killing this little angel in my arms. Peter actually looks surprised at my burst of protectiveness.

"They won't lay a hand on her." I hiss before feeling the little one tense up in my arms at my growl. I close my eyes and take a deep breath to calm myself. "Like I said, let's just take her back home until we find out what the hell we're going to do. We need to take care of this, first off."

We are standing on an open road with a dead woman lying in the street and a little baby in my arms. Humans could drive down the road at any second, we need to clean this up. Peter just sighs and quietly curses, nodding his head. "Alright, I'll take care of this. You take the Little Bit home."

"Thank you, Baby." I quickly peck his lips before taking off down the road, running carefully so I don't disturb the little bundle in my arms. The run from Arizona to Texas won't take long, probably around three hours. I'm just glad that Bella is sleeping peacefully. I finally reach our house in Tahoka bringing her right up into our bedroom and laying her down. I set her down and go to get some water for her, when a little hand clutches to me, not letting me go. I sigh and sit back down on the bed, pulling the covers over the both of us. I watch this little angel sleep while brushing the hair out of her face, trying to strategize the next few hours.

* * *

**Jalen, why are you starting another story?**

**I've always wanted to write a Bella/Jasper story, so I figured why not?**

**Should I continue - yes or no?**

**Thanks for reading**

**-Jalen-**


	2. Never Go Back

**Where I Belong**

**Chapter 2**

* * *

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Never Go Back by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals_

**Peter Whitlock POV**

Has my mate lost it? I think so. Seriously, she wants to keep a human child around. I'm not exactly familiar with the pint-sized population, unless you count my brother's wife. Shit, Little Bella might be as tall as her and she can't be more than five years old.

Alice...that crazy pixiepire. What the hell does my brother see in her? I don't see it. When we met her, I immediately knew that we wouldn't like her. Not just because my shit was going off, but I just knew that she was a manipulative bitch. Just like Maria...

I shudder at that bitch's name, shaking my head and focusing back on the present. I got a task to complete, and I need to complete it fast. I have to take care of this fucking car, this fucking body, and stage two deaths. Oh, I'm in for a great fucking night. I quickly lift up Little Bit's mama's body and place it in the car, trying to think about what I'm going to do. I then get in the driver's seat to get the hell out of here, but when I turn the key, it just sputters. Ah, so that's why they were stuck. Broken down car, vampire sees opportunity for a meal.

Fucking fantastic. I turn to look at the surrounding desert and start strategizing. I guess we're going with animal attack. There's all kinds of wild animals out in the desert, bears, wolves, coyotes. Their car broke down, bear came and killed them. Horrifically tragic story. Probably be in the paper, people will mourn, and they'll move on. Easy. Bella said she doesn't have any family, so I don't expect anyone to come looking for her.

Alright, now I have to fuck up the car.

I quickly get out and smash up the car, breaking the windows and tearing the door up. I then look at Bella's mama's body, silently apologizing to it before I make it look like a bear mauled her. I then tear the door off near Bella's car seat and rip the belts connected to it. Bella was taken and dragged off by the bear. If I only had some of her blood, this story would be as solid as my skin. Whatever, it's believable enough, and we'll be in Texas anyway. I see headlights coming down the road and I take off, wanting to just get my ass home and in the shower.

But first, I make my way toward Little Bit's house, remembering the address from her mama's driver's license. It takes me a little bit of time to find, but I eventually arrive the quaint, yellow house. I hop the fence and walk around the side of the house, opening a window and quickly flitting in, landing in the kitchen. I'm a man on a mission, so I don't have time to look around. I make my way upstairs and open a door, finding it leads to what I'm assuming is her mom's room. I close the door and then walk into the room across the hall, seeing it's designed for a little girl, pink galore. I make my way over to the closet, grabbing a bag out of it and shoving random articles of clothing in it. I then grab a pair of sneakers and shove them in the bag, too.

I'm trying to not take anything too noticeable, in the chance that they do launch an investigation. I do a last check around the room before seeing a stuffed teddy bear on her bed. My shit has been going off when I see it, telling me to take it. My shit has never led me the wrong way before, so I quickly grab it and stuff it in the bag. I then walk around the house, wanting to see if there's information about Bella. I find a small desk in the dining room and open it, finding a lock box. Thankfully it's open, so I look through a couple of papers before finding some important papers - Little Bit's birth certificate and social security card.

_Isabella Marie Swan. Born September 13, 1987 to Charles and Renée Swan._

She just turned four years old about a month ago. I put the papers back in the box, before rifling through the desk and finding a newspaper article and obituary from a year ago.

**POLICE OFFICER KILLED IN BANK ROBBERY**

There's a picture of a man that you can tell Bella gets her looks from, same brown eyes, brown hair, pale skin. Under the picture is a long article explaining that Charles Swan was killed by a robber, who escaped police. He is survived by his wife, Renée and daughter, Bella. Poor kid lost her mom and dad within a year of each other. Life is so fucking cruel sometimes. I put all of that stuff back, not finding anything else of use. I then walk into the kitchen and exit through the window again.

Running to Texas usually doesn't take long, and the trip alone isn't bad. I usually stick towards deserted roads anyway, not wanting people to see a blur of movement pass them by. Another reason Char and I travel at night when all the humans are asleep, all the cretins come out late at night to feast on.

I finally arrive at our home at around six in the morning as the grey sky is lightening, and walk right in the rancher style house. Hopefully Char won't get mad about me tracking mud in the house, the rain picked up on the way back from Phoenix. I follow the sound of a heartbeat upstairs, seeing my woman under the covers with Bella wrapped in her arms, tiny hands clutching my mate for dear life in her sleep. Char motions for me to be quiet, before looking back down at the small bundle with pure love in her eyes. Geez, not even three hours and she's got Char wrapped around her tiny finger.

Oh, no. Char can't get too attached because we are not keeping her. It will be near impossible to keep her under wraps from the Volturi. Then all of us will be killed, and I don't want my mate and this little girl's blood on my hands. I can contain the growl at the thought of the Volturi killing Char.

Shaking my worst fear out of my head, I throw the bag on the ground, Char raising an eyebrow at it. "I went to her house, figured she needed some clothes and shit." I tell her with a shrug, but the smile that crosses Char's face is breathtaking and makes me glad that I did it. She then glances back at the Little Bit, gently brushing the hair off her head. "Also found her birth certificate. You are holding one Isabella Marie Swan who was born on September 13, 1987. Found out her daddy was a police officer, died in a robbery."

Char gets a sad smile on her face, before looking out the window, seeing the rain that has steadily picked up. We should be able to go outside today and not be worried about our sparkly asses getting spotted in the Texas sun.

"You're a mess, why don't you shower?" Char quietly laughs while I playfully glare at my woman. Shaking my head, I walk into the closet to grab some clothes before connecting bathroom to take a quick shower. I shower off, listening to Char's soft hums to Bella.

Walking out of the bathroom, I feel a lot better now that I'm finally clean of the blood from Bella's mom that the rain didn't wash off. Charlotte sees me and gently break the stone hold of Bella's tiny hand on her and lay it back down on the bed, pulling the covers up, and kissing Bella's forehead. She then walks over to the dresser and grabs my wallet off the top, taking some money and placing it in her pocket. Raising an eyebrow in question, she sighs. "She needs food and some other things. I'm gonna head to the store."

My eyes widen as I realize, "You're leaving me alone with her?"

"Just for an hour, at the most. I just need to run to the store." Charlotte explains and I just gawk at her, not believing what she's saying.

"You're leaving me alone with her." I say as more of a statement, already feeling nervous. She can't leave me alone with Bella, I don't know nothing about kids. What if she wakes up? What if she asks me for something I can't give her? Shit, can a vampire hyperventilate? I think I'm going to be the first one.

"Peter, you will be okay. I'm not asking you to take on a whole army of newborns." Charlotte tells me and I roll my eyes.

"I think I might prefer that." I mutter, receiving a smack upside my head from my lovely mate.

"Peter, she is sleeping. Just stay in the room with her, she probably won't even wake up. If she does, ask her if she's thirsty. If she is, get her a glass of water. Turn on the television if she's bored. I will be back with food for her. _You will be fine._" Charlotte stresses the last part and I sigh, shaking my head.

"Alright. Fine." I say and she smiles, kissing me on the lips.

"Good boy." she coos, pinching my cheek while I swat her hand away, listening to her retreating form laughing all the way outside and into the garage. When I hear her pull away, I turn around towards the Little Bit, seeing her still asleep. Okay, I can do this. I can do this. Shit, I've fought in the Southern Vampire Wars along side Major Jasper Whitlock, I've dismembered hundreds of newborns, barely breaking a sweat. I can handle a four-year old little girl. This is nothing. I shake my head and walk out of the room and down the stairs, figuring Bella won't wake up for a little while considering the emotional night she had.

Walking into my living room, I plop myself on my couch and grab the remote, turning the television on. I waste about an hour watching nonsense on tv, when I hear a couple whimpers from upstairs. Oh, fuck. I jump out of my seat and flit upstairs, seeing Bella rolling around the bed while sobbing. Her eyes are closed, so I assume she's having a nightmare. Yeah, last night was a fucking nightmare. I then look over in the bag and pull out that teddy bear that I got and walk over to her shaking form, sitting down on the bed.

"Bella...Bella, wake up, you're just having a bad dream." I softly murmur, placing a hand on her arm.

"Mommy, no!" she screams, shooting up out of the bed and actually scaring the shit out of me. Jesus Christ, this little human just startled me. She then looks over to me and immediately launches herself into my arms, while I stiffen up, not knowing how to react. She sobs into my shoulder and I cringe, feeling out of my element. Oh God, Char didn't tell me what to do when she starts sobbing like this. How in God's name do I comfort a crying child? "It wasn't just a dream." she sobs out, her chest wracking as I wince.

Hesitantly, I place a hand on her back and start rubbing circles. Her sobs seem to only get louder, so I sigh and pick her up, situating her in my lap. "It's okay, Bella. You're safe now, Little Bit." I tell her, rocking her back and forth while I hold her. I think I saw this on tv once.

I then see the bear and pick it up, showing it to her. "Is this yours?"

Her tearful brown eyes immediately light up and she nods her head, frantically. I then give her the bear while she cuddles it to herself, and I can't help but smile. That is so fucking adorable. "Th-thank you." The gratitude in her brown, doe eyes just makes me so glad that I got it for her.

"You're welcome, Sweetheart." I tell her and she lays her head on my chest, holding the bear to her. I then remember what Char said to do if she wakes up. "Uh...are you thirsty, Little Bit?"

She nods her head and I smile at her before going to stand, only for Bella to whimper and hold me tighter. "Please d-don't leave me alone."

I feel something in my chest tighten at those words. "Bella, I'm not leaving you alone. I'm just going to the kitchen to get you some water." I tell her, assuring her that I'm not leaving her by herself. She just raises her brown eyes, a couple of tears slipping from them.

"Please?" she says, her lips quivering and I sigh, knowing I won't be able to say no to that face. Good thing she doesn't know that, she could probably ask for a million dollars and I'd hand it over without a second thought.

I pick Bella up, surprised when the girl curls herself into me, clutching the bear to her while the other arm is wrapped securely around my neck. I walk down the stairs and into the kitchen, Bella burying her face into my shoulder. I walk over to the cabinet where Charlotte bought glasses and dishes "to keep up appearances." I grab a glass out of the cabinet and walk over to sink. I fill up the glass and then turn off the water, Bella not making any indication of moving.

"Bella, I have your water." I tell her and she raises her head to look at me, I can't help but give her a small smile. She looks over to the water and I hand it to her, chuckling when I see the girl gulp down the water like she's been stuck in the desert. She finishes the water and hands the glass back to me. "Do you want more?"

She shakes her head no, the corners of her lips twitching up. "No, but thank you." she whispers and I smile, putting the glass on the sink. I then remember what Char said, so I walk into the living room and plop down the on the couch, the tv still on. I situate Bella in my lap as she continues to cling to me, not letting go of her little teddy bear. I flip through channels, coming across the _Looney Tunes_. Bella brightens up for a second, before it extinguishes and she looks a little sheepish.

"You wanna watch cartoons?" I ask her and she looks up to me from under her lashes, nodding her head. "You got good taste, Little Bit." I comment, being rewarded by her lips twitching again. I smile as she lays her head back on my shoulder, eyes glued to the television. I find myself absent-mindedly running my fingers through her hair as we watch tv. Sometimes she'll giggle, and the sound is tugging at my heart, making me smile. Eh, I could probably get used to this kid, it's not as bad as I thought. Usually, all the human kids I see are whiny little brats, but Bella is...different. Maybe it's because of what she saw last night, hopefully she won't turn into a brat.

Nah, she doesn't seem like she will.

After about an hour of watching cartoons, I feel Bella becoming dead weight in my arms. Looking down, I see her eyes are closed and her breathing is even. I'm not surprised she's asleep, she's probably physically and emotionally exhausted. I brush some of her brown curls away from her face, not even fighting the grin that twitches at my lips. She's a cute kid, Char seems to already love her. Seriously, there's no way in hell I'm going to deny my mate anything that makes her happy.

Chuckling to myself, I shake my head. Well, it looks like Bella Swan is now Bella Whitlock.

* * *

**Charlotte Whitlock POV**

"Finally."

I sigh as I slam the back door of the truck, walking over to the driver side and slipping in. Okay, I had a little bit of difficulty in the store picking out food. I realized that I have no idea what Bella likes and I don't know if any of this stuff is good. Walking through the aisles, I just picked up some stuff that looks easy to make - bread, peanut butter, jelly, cereal, milk, macaroni and cheese, butter, spaghetti. For now, I'll just get that. I think I'm going to have to pick up some cookbooks and ask Bella what she likes to eat.

I also grab some bath stuff for her, soap and stuff for bubble baths. My mate is a genius for going to Bella's house and getting clothes for her, though we will get some more for her in the future. I hope we have a future with Bella, I don't think I'm going to be able to give her to an orphanage. Thinking about her sad eyes and her quivering lip when she was crying, no there's no way in hell I'm giving her to an orphanage.

She's mine. I don't give a flying fuck about the Volturi. We saved her, and now she's our responsibility.

Besides, sending her to an orphange where she describes two people with red eyes that saved her isn't sticking to the whole "keep the secret" thing. Now that I'm thinking about it, should we tell her? She's bound to know something when we don't eat, when we don't sleep, when we have to leave to go feed, the super strength and speed, and most importanty - why our eyes are red. Yeah, that's bound to bring up suspicion. Right now, we only have two options - kill her or keep her. We are sure as hell not doing the former.

Right now, I just want to get back to my house, with my mate, and see Bella. I'll admit, I'm already wrapped around her finger. I got a feeling that she'll do the same to Peter. Which reminds me, I should hustle home in case she has woken up and Peter has no idea what to do. Oh, I just hope that he followed my directions.

I pull into the driveway, taking off the glasses I wore into the store to cover my eyes while ignoring the dirty looks people give me for wearing sunglasses inside. I throw them on the dashboard before flitting out of the car and quickly grabbing all of the bags. I hear Bella's heartbeat is still steady, showing that she's still asleep. I sigh in relief and walk inside the house, almost dropping my bags at the sight I see.

Peter is sitting on the couch with Bella in his lap, sleeping peacefully while clinging to him. My God, that is the cutest sight I've ever seen. Peter looks up at me with a smile, placing his fingers to his lips while looking back down at the sleeping angel in his arms with a smile full of love. Bella works quick at making people like her.

I smile and walk into the kitchen, placing the bags on the counter and puttig them all away in the cabinets and fridge where we keep extra blood we, uh..."took" from clinics. We're going to have to explain that, too.

I then put the bags away before walking to our guest room, which will now be Bella's, and putting all of the bath stuff in the bathroom. I look around the bedroom, figuring that we're going to have to order some furniture and paint it for her, any way she wants.

"Hey there, Bella." I hear Peter say and I walk out of the room, walking into the living room where Bella is rubbing her sleepy eyes. She then looks up at me and her eyes widen with recognition. I give her a tentative smile before slowly walking over to her.

"Hey, Sweet Thing. How did you sleep?" I ask her, Bella holding the teddy bear to her as she looks back and forth between Peter and I.

"Okay." she says, her gaze still flickering back and forth between us. Well, she's definitely seen the eyes, but she's not freaking out. I then hear her tummy growling and I smile as she looks a little sheepish.

"You hungry, Bella?" I ask and she looks up at me, nodding her head. I reach out to her and she takes my hand, hopping off Peter's lap and walking with me into the kitchen. I then help her up to the barstool and walk over to the cabinets. "Do you like peanut butter and jelly?"

She nods her head with wide eyes and I smile, taking out the peanut butter, jelly, and bread to make her a sandwich. I slice it into triangles and place it on a plate. "Do you want something to drink, Honey?"

"Milk?" she asks, taking a bite of the sandwich.

"You got it." I tell her, grabbing a glass out of the cabinet and filling it with milk before placing it in front of her. Peter then saunters into the room, taking a seat on the stool next to her.

"Is that good, Little Bit?" he asks her and she nods her head, her cheeks full of food as she chews. I laugh at the sight and keep the smile on my face as I watch her drink the milk.

Bella then finishes her sandwich, drinking the rest of her milk as I walk over to her. "Thank you."

"You are welcome, Sweetness." I reply, taking the plate over to the sink to wash as Peter smiles at me. You know, I think we could do this. It doesn't seem that bad raising a little girl if it's like this, and she's like this, all the time. We'll be okay.

"So...you're vampires."

* * *

**Ahhh! That mind blowing moment when one of your favorite authors (Kittyinaz) on here follows your story. Seriously, I'm still screaming from excitement. **

**53 follows and 31 favorites. Holy shit, thank you so much! You guys are so awesome. Thank you to everyone who reviewed too! Seriously, made my freaking life.**

**I'm glad you're liking the start and we should see Jasper's POV in the next chapter, I just wanted to establish everything with Peter, Charlotte, and Bella first.**

**If you have _any _suggestions, please let me know. I would love to hear your ideas or requests!**

**I put my story on my Word Press. Link is on my profile!**

**Thanks a bunch**

**-Jalen-**


	3. Sinking Man

**Where I Belong**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Sinking Man by Of Monsters and Men_

**Jasper Hale POV**

**Greenville, Missouri**

I take in a breath of fresh air as my wife and I exit the high school, walking towards the car with our "siblings" after another monotonous day. Everything about this life is monotonous. We're all doing another round of high school, this time in Greenville, Missouri. Greenville High School. What will this be, the tenth time we've graduated? I actually think I've lost count. These days just seem to blend together.

I look down to my small wife. Alice. She beams up at me and I return it with a small smile, finding myself not able to fully smile anymore it seems. I'm fucking frustrated. There is this giant hole in my chest, and I have no fucking idea how to fill it. I felt it when I first met Alice, and it receded for a while I was relishing the fact that I wasn't feeling like a monster, killing humans for their blood. I've noticed that for the last five or so years, it's been downright irritating.

Edward pulls up to our house, I get out and open the door for Alice like the southern gentleman my mama raised me to be. She would slap me upside the head if she knew of the way I treated some of those female newborns. I take Alice's hand as she dances her way into the house, my mind already occupied by my thoughts as I blindly follow her.

"How was school?" I hear Esme ask all of us while I bite back the urge to snap at her, knowing that it would hurt Esme's feelings and I would regret it. But seriously, I'm stuck in a closed facility with a bunch of whiny teenagers who have nothing intelligent to talk about while I'm holding my breath the entire day. Desperately trying to not catch a whiff of them so I don't go on a killing spree, surrendering to not only _my_ blood lust, but four other vampires'. My siblings can breathe freely, because of me. You're welcome.

Yeah, they don't know this, but the reason I slip so much, is because I can feel theirs as well as my own. Four other vampires blood lust on top of your own is incredibly hard, and no one knows that I have the best control out of the entire family because of this. Of course I'm going to slip, there's only so much I can take before I snap.

But, I don't want the family to feel bad, even though I'm incredibly frustrated. So, I continue to play the family's problem child with the control issues. I continue to repeat high school and college, I continue to drink the animal blood that tastes like shit. I continue to stay with Alice because...well, because I feel obligated to. She gave me this family and I'll be eternally grateful to her for that. I need something more, though.

I've tried _everything_ to try to alleviate this pain - sex, "slipping" and killing a human to drink their blood, hanging out with my "siblings," etc. Nothing has helped at all and I just keep sinking deeper and deeper. It's cold and dark where I'm at right now, it's not a place I want to be anymore. It's not a place I _can_ be anymore.

"Come on, Jazzy." I inwardly grimace at that ridiculous nickname she gave me, and the way she sometimes treats me like a dog. My name is Jasper, and I like my given name. The name that my father and mother gave me. One of the last things I can tie to my human life, besides my Confederate flag and memorabilia. Whatever, it makes her happy I guess. I wish that I could tell her what I think, but she won't listen, so why bother. I follow her where she wants to go, because really, what the hell else am I going to do?

"Coming."

Is there a way out of this shit pit of despair, or am I just destined to sink and never find my light?

* * *

**Charlotte Whitlock POV**

**Tahoka, Texas**

As soon as those three little words pass through Bella's mouth, I drop the plate in shock, glass shattering in the sink. Whipping around, I see that Peter is staring at her with wide eyes, mirroring the way I'm feeling. She really just called us out on what we are. How the hell does this little thing know about vampires?

Bella, however, looked scared, but I don't think that it's because of what we are. I think she's scared of our reactions as she keeps flicking her brown gaze back and forth between Peter and I. Her bottom lip slips between her teeth while a pink tint graces her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

Shaking my head, I snap myself out of my temporary brain shutdown. "Why are you sorry, Sweetheart?"

"I didn't mean to say it like that. But...you are." Bella says, Peter and I looking at each other. "It's just, your eyes are red...I saw you running last night...and, the blood in the fridge."

"You're an observant little thing." Peter comments, shaking his head. Bella just shrugs, turning her head towards me as I approach her taking a seat on the other side of her.

"How do you know about vampires, Bella?" I ask, genuinely curious to how and what this little angel knows about the supernatural world Peter and I live in.

"It was after daddy died. Mommy wouldn't come out of her room sometimes, and I would hear her cry and cry, never answering me when I knocked on the door. She wouldn't even come out to cook dinner, so I had to or else I wouldn't eat. I didn't like hearing my mommy cry, so I would go to the playground across the street from my neighborhood. I stayed out past sunset and it was really dark out. I was starting to walk home when I tripped and skinned my knee. I started crying because my knee hurt and I was really scared, but this pretty lady helped me up. I saw that her eyes were like yours and when I asked her why she had red eyes, she told me it was because she was different from me. She told me her name is Lydia and then she walked me home. I always came back and she always met me there when it was dark. She's my best friend." She tells us, a large smile on her face as she thinks about that vampire. I share an uneasy glance with my mate, before he looks back at Bella.

"Did she tell you that she's a vampire?" Peter asks and Bella nods her head.

"Mhm...when I asked why I never saw her during the day. She said that her skin is different from mine and it sparkles. She doesn't eat food, she drinks blood." Bella says and I raise an eyebrow.

"You weren't scared?" I ask and she shakes her head.

"She's my friend, she wouldn't hurt me. But she said there are some bad vampires out there, and that I should be careful when I'm out at night. They would like to hurt me. She made me promise that I wouldn't tell anyone, or else we would be in big trouble. Then she had to leave." Bella tells us and I tilt my head.

"Do you know where she went?" I ask Bella and she nods her head.

"She had to go back to Italy." Bella says, causing Peter and I to exchange stunned glances. Italy? Does she mean...

"Bella, do you know where in Italy?" Peter asks and she frowns while thinking.

"Vo...Vol...Volt-someting. I don't remember." Bella says and I feel my heart drop, knowing that Lydia is now in Volterra, possibly with the Volturi.

"Did she say when she was coming back?" I ask her and Bella nods her head.

"She said that she couldn't come back for a long time, but she promised to come see me again." Bella tells us as I breathe a sigh of relief, not wanting a vampire to come looking for her. Especially if they're from the Volturi.

"Well...yes, Bella. We're vampires." I tell her and she nods her head, playing with her hands in her lap.

"Where am I going to go?" Bella asks, causing Peter and I to frown.

"What do you mean?" Peter asks her and she looks over to him with sad eyes that are breaking my heart in two.

"I don't have a mommy anymore. I don't have any place to go." she says, looking down at the ground while Peter and I share a look.

"Yes, you do. You can live here, Sweetness." I tell her, her tiny head whipping towards me with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Really?"

"Of course. We want you to stay here with us. We'll take care of you." I assure her, her brown eyes flickering with hope and happiness. "Would you want to stay here?"

"Yes, I like it here." Bella says and I smile at her, walking over to her.

"Well, we like having you here." I tell her and her lips twitch into a small smile.

"I can really stay here?"

"Hell yeah! I like having you around, Little Bit!" Peter exclaims, while Bella actually giggles at him while I roll my eyes, smiling at his antics.

"Okay, I'll stay." Bella says with a decisive nod and Peter cheers, picking Bella up and swinging her around as she continues to giggle. He then sets her on the couch and starts tickling her while I chuckle at my mate with Bella, happy that she wants to stay with us.

* * *

**November 18, 1991**

Bella has been here for twenty-two days.

Twenty-two wonderful, joy filled days. We've already re-done the guest room into her room, painting it her choice of purple. Peter asked her why purple if her room back in Phoenix was pink, and Little Miss said that she hates pink. She told us that her mom did her room without listening to her, so I made sure that everything was what Bella wanted, and she loves it. She's so smart, and seems to like having a say in things.

Bella is so different from any other children I've seen. She's not whiny or bratty. She's very mature for her age, always saying please and thank you. Her nose always seems to be in a book, which we've stocked her room with. She's always grateful with everything we have gotten her - books, toys, clothes. I don't think I could ask for a better daughter.

Hmm...daughter. That sounds about right.

Of course, she doesn't call me "mama" or anything, which I don't expect her to. Her real mom died less than a month ago. She is moving on, though, and for that, I'm happy. I don't really think that she was all that happy with her real mama. After all, she said that she basically ignored her after her daddy died.

Miss Bella sure has flipped our live's upside down. We would have usually moved on by now, travelling to some other place as we normally do, but we want to create a stable life for Bella. She's had enough trauma in her life, and Peter and I are determined to make sure her life is as easy as it can. She deserves it.

Now, Peter is trying to find the number to Jenks that he's seemed to lost. He wants to create official documents for Bella; a birth certificate, social security card, etc. I happen to think that Bella Whitlock has a wonderful ring to it. Unfortunately, Peter's "knower" isn't telling him the number and he can't remember it, which should be nearly impossible for a normal vampire. Well, this is Peter that we're talking about, he's not exactly "normal." I'll admit, my mate is a few beers short of a six-pack. Eh, at least the sex is great.

"Damnit..." Peter mutters, moving around the house at vampire speed as Bella and I sit in the living room. Our little angel glances up at him before shrugging and focusing back on coloring in her coloring book as cartoons are playing on the television. I'm sitting on the sofa chair, looking through a cookbook, trying to learn some new meals for Bella. She's not a picky child at all, always trying whatever I cook for her. I find myself actually enjoying cooking for Bella, the food not repulsing me so much when I think of the smiles and multiple "thank you's" from Bella after she eats.

"Where the hell did I put it?" Peter asks, plopping himself down on the couch while scrubbing his face with his hands.

"If I was a piece of paper with a number on it, where would I be? Hmm..." I tease him, winking at a giggling Bella. "Why don't you just call Jasper?"

"Oh, he's going to have a field day with this. A vampire who can't remember a phone number, fucking great." Peter mutters while I flit over and smack him on the back of his head.

"First off, watch your mouth around Bella. You're the one who lost the number, go dial the Major." I tell him, narrowing my gaze which he shrinks away from.

"Who's the Major?" Bella asks from her seat, Peter and I looking over to her.

"It's just a nickname for my brother, Little Bit. His real name is Jasper." Peter tells her, Bella raising her eyebrows.

"Will I meet Jasper?" she asks, Peter and I sharing a glance.

"You want to meet him?" I ask and she nods her head. Do I want Jasper to meet Bella? I'm not exactly sure if that would be the best idea, with his nosy ass family. The mind reader and the Seer.

Peter motions his head towards the kitchen and I give him a nod, seeing Bella has gone back to watching cartoons while coloring. We both walk into the kitchen as he walks over to the phone, taking it off the hook.

"Should we tell him?" I ask Peter who shrugs.

"Why not?"

"His wife and the mind reader. I don't want them knowing about her, especially since Carlisle has close ties with the Volturi. He lived with them for a while, right?" I ask and he nods his head.

"The Major told me he learned ways around her visions, also how to block Edward from his mind." Peter says and I bite my lip, thinking. "Don't you think we would have already gotten a phone call from the Major if Alice saw we had a human child here?"

He's got a point. "Alright, ask him if he wants to come visit. No Malice, though. I don't want her knowing about Bella."

"Me neither." he says with a grimace, causing me to chuckle as I walk back into the living room, Bella exactly where I had left her. She looks up when I enter, and flashes me an adorable smile before going back to coloring Belle in her _Beauty and the Beast _coloring book.

* * *

**Jasper Hale POV**

There are a couple of things that I enjoy in this world. Books, going home to Texas, my Ducati, but what I love most is sitting in my sanctuary, also known as my study, alone and in peace. It seems that in this house, there is no privacy, especially living with a mind reader and a Seer. Over the years, I've learned how to evade Alice's visions and block my mind from Edward, but it's not completely private. In my study, I can relax and drop the Jasper Hale bullshit, I can go back to being Jasper Whitlock.

I rub the ache in my chest, sighing as I try to focus on my book. I'm distracted, though. I can't think about anything other than this ache. When the hell is this pain going to go away, because it's affecting my attitude. My temper has been short lately, and I've been snapping at everyone. I, of course, _feel _their hurt when I snap and that makes me feel like an even bigger asshole. I need to get away from here, before I detonate.

I'm pulled from my thoughts by my phone ringing. Who the hell could this be? Maybe Jenks with my paperwork...

"Hello?"

"Howdy, fucker!" Nope, not Jenks. I immediately smile, hearing my brother's voice.

"What do you want, Captain?" I ask, knowing that Peter is going to beat around the bush to aggravate me.

"Oh, I'm fine, Major. How about yourself? Geez, you got some nice manners. Those Cullens seem like good inf-" he starts but I cut him off with a mirthful growl.

"Catapin! What do you want?"

"Do you have Jenks' number?" he says, sounding a little desperate.

"You don't remember it?" I ask, skeptically. Vampires have total recall, though Peter is a little special.

"I wouldn't be asking for it if I remembered it, now would I?" he snarks, my grin growing bigger as I shake my head.

"Smartass." I then tell him the number, before frowning. "Why do you need it?"

"I just have to get some documents for someone." Someone? "By the way, what are you doing this weekend?"

"The family is going hunting, why?"

"Why don't you come visit your old pals Peter and Char? We miss you, brother. And I got someone to introduce you to." I smile, hearing that Peter misses me. It's a nice feeling that someone cares about me, as I genuinely know Peter means it.

"Who am I meeting?" I ask, curious to who the hell they would have me meet.

"You'll have to see this weekend, but leave _Tinkerbell _with the other squirrel munchers. I already got one 'know-it-all' in the house, I don't need another." I hear Charlotte say and I chuckle, remembering how much Char and Alice but heads.

"No problem, I'll be there on Friday night." I tell him.

"See you then, Major." Peter says before the line goes dead. Rude fucker! I shake my head and hang up the phone, shaking my head. Who the hell does Peter have me meeting? Whoever they are, they must be important to him and Char with the way they sounded.

"You're going to Texas?" I hear my wife from the doorway and turn around, seeing her standing there. I'm looking forward to a couple of days away from, not just her, everyone. I can go back to Texas and see my family...my real family.

"Yeah, I'm going to visit Peter and Charlotte. Don't-" I stop her from looking into the future as her eyes glaze over. Her eyes come back to life as she frowns at me.

"But, Jazz, you could slip. I don't want you to be tempted by their diet." she says, using that voice that grinds my nerves. The pseudo-sweet voice like she's looking out for my well-being, when she really just doesn't like not having control.

"Alice, I will be fine. Just, don't look into my future. I would actually like something to be a surprise." I tell her and she sighs, leaning forward and placing a kiss on my lips. I never initiate any intimacy with Alice, she always does. It seems more like a chore, than something to express our fake love.

"I just worry about you, Jazzy."

"Alice, I'm not a child. You don't have to worry about me." I grit out, trying to remain calm.

Yeah, I really have to get out of this house.

* * *

**November 22, 1991**

Friday rolls around too slow for my liking, and I'm excited to get out of this house. I'm planning on running there, since it would be faster than a plane. The run will help clear my mind, and it should only be about four hours. I place my bag on my back and kiss my wife goodbye, heading out towards Tahoka, Texas.

I'm practically giddy at the thought of coming home to Texas, excited for a couple of days of freedom. Excited for a couple of days with my family. Also, curious to who this person I'm being introduced to.

I smile when I arrive at the gate of their secluded house as the sun sets. I then realize that the ache in my chest is nearly gone, smiling when I realize that it was just coming home that I was missing. Taking a deep breath, I smell the familiar Texas air. Home.

I run down the driveway, frowning when I hear a heartbeat coming from the house. The front door swings open and a smug looking Peter walks out, shit eating grin on his face.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in. What's up, fucker?" he asks and I smirk, shaking my head.

"Oh, what a nice greeting for family." I retort, receiving a scoff from Peter.

"Family my ass, you made yourself friendly with those squirrel nibblers. Haven't seen my pretty mug in, what...ten years?" Peter says and despite the mirthful expression on his face, I can feel the pain and sadness from staying away.

"I'm sorry, brother." I tell him, genuinely meaning it as a smile crosses Peter's face. He walks over and we hug, slapping each other's backs as I relish the feel of being home. When we pull back, I then remember the heartbeat.

"Is there a human here?" I ask and his grin widens as he turns back towards the house.

"Char, why don't you bring her out?" he calls and I frown. Her? I see a familiar face walk out of the house, Charlotte. She smiles at me, but then I focus on what she's carrying...or who, I should say. It's a little human child. What the fuck?

Peter sees the look of shock on my face and smiles, shaking his head. The little child looks over at me and the ache is gone. Completely gone! All these years of having this ache in my chest, it's now just a phantom. The girl wiggles and Charlotte puts her down.

The girl stares at me wide-eyed - shock, wonder, joy, happiness, confusion are hitting me in the face and I have to wonder how this tiny girl has so many emotions rolling through her. She walks towards me and, as if a pulley is connecting us, I walk towards her.

"Jasper, meet our...daughter, Bella." Peter says, watching the both of us. I feel his complete trust in me with this human.

Bella...such an appropriate name for such a beautiful little girl.

Wait, his daughter? I'll have to hear this story later.

When we're a foot apart from each other, Bella cranes her neck up to look at my 6'4 form, big brown eyes connecting to gold for the first time. She reaches her tiny hands up and I reach down, lifting her up and sitting her on my hip as her lips twitch into a grin. I can't help but smile back in wonder, feeling a warmth run through my body as hand touches mine. It starts from the top of my head and runs to the bottom of my feet. Something clicks inside of me and I know that she's mine, just like I'm hers. I was only half right, coming home is what I was missing, because wherever this little girl goes, is my home.

I'm a goner.

* * *

**So, Bella and Jasper meet each other. Just so you know, there's no sexual feelings toward each other. Hello, she's a baby that'd be gross. Now, it's a weird connection that's hard to explain, but he does understand that they are mates. I guess it's like Jake's feelings towards Renesmee when she's young.**

**104 follows and 59 favorites. WHAT? That's insane! Thank you all so much! **

**Did you like Jasper's POV?**

**Let me know what you think of this chapter. **

**Posted my story on Word Press.**

**Thanks a bunch**

**-Jalen-**


	4. When Darkness Turns To Light

**Where I Belong**

**Chapter 4**

* * *

_Song I listened to for this chapter: It Ends Tonight by The All-American Rejects_

**Bella Whitlock POV**

I knew I was different.

I never liked to talk to people much back home, we never seemed to get along. They all just seemed to feel bad for me because of daddy. I remember the day of his funeral, and how mommy just stared at the box they put him in. When we got home, she went into her room and wouldn't come out.

And she stayed.

And stayed.

I don't know how long she stayed in her bedroom, but I know that I had to start taking over my mommy's job around the house. One of our neighbors, Carol, brought over some groceries and ready-made meals for us, which I was thankful for. I would put them in the microwave and place them outside mommy's door when she wouldn't answer.

I didn't like hearing her cry, so I would leave the house.

That's when I remembered the playground daddy used to take me when he got home from work. I walked all the way there and sat on a swing until it got dark. I got off the swing and tripped, skinning my knee. It was bleeding and it hurt really bad, so I started crying.

Then I saw her.

My best friend, Lydia. She picked me up and carried me over to one of the benches. I thought it was a little weird when she licked my wound clean, but it felt a lot better after that. Then I saw her face, and her eyes were red. I should have been scared, I should have ran, I should have screamed.

I don't like the word "should."

She told me that she wasn't going to hurt me, and I believed her. When I asked why she had red eyes, she said it's because she's different. Then she told me that I should get home and walked me home, and actually tucked me in.

I came back to the park every day after that, and Lydia was always there. Always after dark. I could just talk and talk, and she would just listen.

And listen.

Then she told me about herself. She was born in 1550 in France. She said that she's 441 years old! When I asked her how she looked so pretty if she was so old, she said that she doesn't age. I kept asking her questions about herself, and she told me that she's a vampire.

I heard scary stories about vampires and I know that they drink blood. I should have been scared. I should have ran away. I should have screamed.

I _really _don't like the word "should."

I knew that she wouldn't hurt me, because we're friends. Friends don't hurt each other. Then I pinky swore that I wouldn't tell anyone, because if I did, we would be in trouble. I don't want Lydia to be in trouble.

Then she had to go back home, but she promised she would come back.

She'll come back for me one day.

Mommy and I were coming home from her friend's house. Her friend forced her daughter to play dolls with me, but I just sat there while she played with her Barbies. I don't like playing with Barbies. I really wished that Lydia was still here, then I wouldn't bored. Seemed like the hours dragged on until it was time to go home, and mommy said goodbye to her friend, Sarah.

I fell asleep in my car-seat and I was woken up by mommy trying to unfasten my seatbelt. She looked really scared and I turned my head to see a man with red eyes standing there, looking at my mommy as she tried to pull my out of my seat. He grabbed my mommy as I watched him bite into her neck and drink, red blood falling onto the street. He continued to drink.

And drink.

Lydia warned me about vampires like him. The bad vampires. I wished that she was still here. I kept crying until I hear him speak, sending a chill down my spine. I then heard another voice growl at him and I chanced a peek up, seeing a pretty blonde woman and a tall man standing there.

Red eyes.

The woman looked over to me, and I don't know how, but I knew that she's going to help me. Her red eyes are like Lydia's, they're nice and warm, not cold. She takes a step towards me and I want to get out of the car and run over to her, but I'm scared. What if I'm wrong and she's a mean vampire? The man with her growls at the bad vampire and then all of a sudden, there's a blur. The lady walked over to me and I couldn't help but shrink back from her, but I know that she will help me.

Her voice was soft when she's not growling, and she has an accent. It's nice.

I already knew that he killed my mommy, but I just had to ask the lady. I guess I felt better because now she's in heaven with my daddy. She won't cry anymore, she won't be sad anymore...but now, I'm alone.

The lady said her was Charlotte and she asked me if I had any family. My grandmom Higgenbotham died last year, a couple of months before daddy. I then saw the man, and moved closer to Charlotte, just in case. She told me that he was her husband, Peter. I got really sleepy after she said that and I closed my eyes.

When I opened them, I see that I'm in Charlotte's arms. She was running so fast, everything that passes is a blur. Lydia told me that vampires can run really fast, but I didn't know she meant this fast. I couldn't even see anything, it was all a blur. The movement gently lulled me and my eyes started to get heavy and I fell asleep again.

My nightmare scared me because the bad man killed mommy and then me. I woke up to the man, Peter, shaking me. I leapt into his arms, knowing that if I could trust Charlotte, I could trust him, too. He then showed me that he had Teddy! Daddy gave me him last Christmas and I don't know how Peter got him because I left him on my bed. Did he go back to my house? I'm just thankful that he did get him. I decided that Peter is a good guy.

I realized that Charlotte wasn't here, and Peter asked me if I'm thirsty. When he got up to leave and I panicked, not wanting him to leave me alone. He brought me down to the kitchen and got me some water, before we went into the living room. He turned on the tv and I found it funny that Peter likes cartoons and he's older than. He laughed really hard at some parts which made me laugh. I fell asleep again in his arms, feeling really comfortable.

When I woke up again, I saw Peter smiling at me, saying 'hello.' Charlotte then walks in the room and my heart skips, happy that she's back from wherever she went. My tummy then growled and I realized how hungry I actually was. She took me into the kitchen and puts me on one of the chairs while she made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When she opened the fridge to get milk, I saw bags full of blood.

I didn't know how to say this, so I just told them that they're vampires. They both seemed shocked that I knew and I worry that they're going to be mad at me. I know that Lydia made me promise that I couldn't tell anybody, but I don't think it matters for other vampires. I hope she's not mad at me. They asked a lot of questions about Lydia and I tell them what she told me.

I felt really happy when Peter and Charlotte said I could stay with them. I really like them and I like it here. I like not having to take care of myself.

They even let me choose what I want in my room. I always liked purple, but mommy did my room pink. I really don't like the color pink. Peter and Charlotte also bought me all these books, toys, and clothes. Charlotte reads me a story every night before bed. I love it here and I want to stay. I like having Charlotte and Peter as a mommy and daddy. Well...that's what they feel like. I feel like it would hurt my real mommy and daddy's feelings if I started to call them that, though.

I know when they go out hunting, but it doesn't bother me because they explained that they only hunt bad guys that like to hurt people. I like that they help people by getting rid of the bad guys. sometimes, I think that there are more mean humans than vampires in the whole world. Charlotte will go out to hunt and Peter will stay home with me, and then Peter will go out while Charlotte stays with me.

I really like it here.

* * *

Charlotte and I are sitting in the living room while I'm coloring in the coloring book Peter got me. Char is reading a cookbook. For a vampire, she's such a good cook! I always make sure to say 'thank you,' because her food is amazing!

Peter is moving around the house at vampire speed, muttering something while I just go back to coloring. He then says that he lost a phone number and has to call 'the Major.' I don't know who that is, but I want to.

Peter said that he's his brother and he goes into the kitchen to call him. I don't know why, but I'm excited to meet this Jasper.

When the day comes for Peter's brother to arrive, I'm really excited, helping Char clean the house. I just hope that he's a nice person. They told me that unlike them, he's with a family that eats animals, so his eyes are gold.

"Bella, when you meet Jasper, make sure you say 'howdy.' He'll love that." Char tells me with a wink and I giggle, nodding my head.

When Peter says that he's here, I go to the window to get a peek, but I can't see him. Charlotte then picks me up and carries me outside and I finally see him. I feel like I just got shocked when I see his gold eyes. I want to walk over to him, so I wiggle and Char puts me down. I walk over to him as he stares at me with wide eyes, and takes a couple of steps towards me. As soon as I'm close enough, I raise my hands, showing I want to be picked up and he immediately does. I get a good look at his face and I smile.

He's tall and has curly blonde hair that's kind of like Peter's. He seems like he could be Peter's real brother, though I know that they aren't. I like being in his arms, because I feel really safe. I feel really comfortable, too. It seems like the best place in the world.

Jasper smiles right back at me and then speaks. His voice is deep with an accent. I like it a lot and I want him to keep talking.

I know that he belongs to me and that I belong to him. I don't want to go anywhere without Jasper being there, because I wouldn't feel whole.

Jasper is mine.

* * *

**Jasper Hale POV**

I'm very aware that I am now holding the reason for my existence, the other half of my soul in my arms. My true mate. I'd always known Alice and I weren't mates because I never felt the mating pull Esme, Carlisle, Rose, and Emmett described. Alice swore that she feels it, but I know I don't. I guess we're more like companions and I had always had held out hope I would meet my true mate one day. Well, I've finally found her, but we have a tiny problem - she's a child.

I've never heard of a vampire mating with a human, let alone a child. There's no denying it, though. I feel the mating pull, and it's strong. I feel complete holding Bella. Each second that is passing by since Bella came into my life a couple of minutes ago, I'm cherishing. This precious little thing in my arms is mine, just like I'm hers.

I have dark thought and I quickly search my emotions, feeling relief when I don't find any sexual inclination towards her. There's no lust in the emotions that I'm feeling, there's happiness, joy, protectiveness, and...love. They are all there, the same emotions bouncing back from Bella. How does this little child recognize me as hers, and how the hell can this tiny body hold so much love that she's radiating?! I can't help but stare at her in wonder, her brown eyes alight with happiness.

"Hello, Bella." I say, smiling at her which she returns.

"Howdy, Major." she replies, her voice sounding like wind chimes. What a lovely, lovely sound. I have to chuckle along with Peter and Charlotte, my happiness rising as I hear her laugh as well. "Char told me to say that."

"Well, howdy there, ma'am. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Bella. Call me Jasper." I reply, tilting my invisible hat which invokes a giggle out of her. I make a silent pledge to do whatever I can to hear that sound, the sweetest sound in the world. We continue to stare at each other in fascination, myself studying my mate's adorable face. Her eyes are big and brown, almost doe-like. She's very pale for a human, but it works on her. Her hair is long, falling in ringlets. She has very long eyelashes for a child, framing her eyes. What a lovely little girl.

"Bella, why don't you go wash up for dinner." Charlotte says, snapping both of us out of our haze.

"Okay, Char." she says before looking over to me, a pink blush gracing her cheeks. "Will you sit with me while I eat?"

"Of course." I tell her and she smiles, wiggling so I can put her down. She then runs over to Char and they walk hand in hand towards the house, Char looking at me suspiciously, before disappearing inside with Bella.

I look over to Peter whose eyebrows are raised. "Well...uh...looks like you found your mate...in my daughter." He grumbles the last part.

"Daughter?" I ask, raising an eyebrow and he nods his head, smile on his face.

"I'll explain when Little Bit goes to sleep. Come on." Peter says, motioning his head towards the house. I grab my bag off the ground and follow him in. The house is nice, decorated by Char with warm, rustic colors. My brother and sister did good for themselves, and I send a little pride his way. "Thanks, man."

I then see Bella walking out of the bathroom with Char. She walks over to me, beaming that wide smile before taking my large hand in her small one. "Come on, I'll show you the kitchen." She then pulls me towards the kitchen and I smile, following her. Charlotte sets the plate of spaghetti on the table and I pick her up and place her on the chair.

"Thank you." she tells me before picking up the fork and digging in.

"How's life been, Major?" Char asks, leaning against Peter as he wraps his arms around her waist.

"Monotonous." I reply, while I keep glancing over to Bella. I still can't believe that I've found her, I don't even think that it matters she's a child. She's my mate. The other half to my whole, the one who was specially made for me. My angel. Mine.

"And Alice?" Charlotte asks, too quiet for Bella to hear, while I glance over at her, seeing eating her food while a smile comes to my face.

"Who?" I absent-mindedly ask. Who's Alice? The only thing I can think about is my little angel sitting next to me.

Alice? Alice...Cullen. Small, pixie vampire. Oh, right...my wife.

Oh, shit.

"I'm in deep shit." I mutter quietly, so Bella doesn't hear.

Peter and Charlotte chuckle and I turn to look at them with wide eyes. "Later, Major." I nod my head turning back to Bella who finishes her dinner. Char comes forward and takes the empty plate.

"Was that good, Sweet Thing?" she asks Bella, who nods her head.

"Yes, thank you, Char." Bella says, Jasper smiling at Bella who looks over at him, pink blush gracing her cheeks once again.

"Come on. I'll give you your bath and then it's time for bed. You can play with Jasper tomorrow, okay?" Charlotte promises and Bella brightens up, turning to me, brown eyes wide and hopeful.

"Really?" she asks and I smile, nodding my head.

"Of course." I reply and she smiles, hopping down from the bar stool and walking over to Char. They both walk out of the room and Peter smiles, watching them out. He then turns to me, nodding his head towards the front door. "Let's go hunt."

I lose my smile at this, feeling some uncertainty in his emotions. "Why, you think I'm gonna take a snap at her?" I ask, bitter venom coating my tone. I thought my brother would have at least trusted me, especially with my mate.

"What?!" he shouts, feeling and looking appalled. "Fuck no! Major, you got the best control I've ever seen. Shit, I just wanted to talk about what the fuck just happened, cause I'm a little freaked out."

This makes me feel a little relieved, but then I feel bad because I snapped at him for no reason. I guess that's the bad thing about being an empath - you can feel emotions, but not the reason behind them. I guess a mind reading empath would be perfect, huh?

I shake my head and sigh, following him out of the house. "Sorry, brother. I've been...irritable lately."

"Does it have anything to do with _Miss Malice in Wonderland_?" he asks me, raised eyebrow and smug grin on his face. I roll my eyes and follow him into the woods near their house.

"She treats me like a dog. The whole family thinks I'm some fucking problem child when I slip. They don't understand that they're the catalysts in my problem." I do a quick hunt, taking down a couple of deer from a herd and draining them. I know I have great control, but it won't hurt to be extra cautious, especially around my mate. I know it's almost impossible for a male to hurt their mate, but I'm not taking chances with that angel. _My_ angel.

"They don't know how to take responsibility." Peter starts as I bury the deer I just drained. "They're too far up their moral high horse of eating rabbits and singing _kumbaya_ around the fire while trying to retain their pseudo-humanity. Acting like Char and I are the scum of the Earth because we drink human blood. We're fucking vampires, we do what vampires do." Peter snaps, breaking part of a branch off a tree. I know that the Cullens don't really like Peter and Charlotte because of their "natural" lifestyle.

"Why don't you just come back here, brother? You found your mate, she obviously loves you already. What's holding you back there? Call Jenks, get the divorce papers drawn up, and move back to Texas so you can watch Little Bit grow up and when she's of age...**_an age that I approve of_**...woo her. Easy as 1-2-3." Peter says and I know that everything he just said makes sense, but it's not that easy.

"That sounds great and all...but I can't do that to them. I have to at least tell Alice in person and let them know that I'm leaving. After everything they've done, I owe them that much."

"Whatever you say. In all seriousness, though...Char and I miss you. You dropped us, your real family, all because your wife said to. That shit hurt, Major." he tells me, radiating his hurt and pain towards me which almost brings me to my knees. Shit, I've been fucking up these past ten years, haven't I?

"I'm sorry. You are my brother. Char is my sister...shit, what the hell was I thinking?" I mutter, shaking my head in disgust. "I've been a real asshole, huh?"

"One of the biggest...but I can't blame you that much. Obligations are a motherfucker, ain't they?" he asks me and I snort.

"You have no fucking idea." I tell him and he smiles, nodding his head back towards the house.

"Come on, I gotta wish Little Bit goodnight, or else she can't sleep." We start walking back towards the house, when Peter gets really serious, turning to me with the dirtiest, meanest glare in the world as his voice is coated with acid. I've never seen Peter like this, not even during the wars. It's enough to make the God of War almost feel a flash of fear through his body. Almost.

"I will tell you this, _brother_...if that little angel _ever_ sheds a tear because of something you said or did, Char and I will light your ass on fire and dance around your pyre."

* * *

**Note to self: Don't make Bella cry. You will have a very angry mama and poppa bear on your hands.**

**I hope I captured the mind of a four-year old correctly, but remember that she is very mature for her age since she had to grow up and learn to take care of herself in such a short time. That's why she's so mature, but Charlotte and Peter are going to encourage her to be a child and have fun.**

**What do you think Jasper is going to do - stay with Bella or _or_ go back to the Cullens? Hm...**

**-Jalen-**


	5. Because You're Mine

**Where I Belong**

**Chapter 5**

* * *

_Song I listened to for this chapter: I Walk The Line by Johnny Cash_

**Charlotte Whitlock POV**

I dump the water on top of Bella's brown curls, wetting her hair as she quietly sits in the tub. Jasper just found his mate...in my daughter. My four-year old daughter. I've never heard of something like this happening before. Not even a human/vampire mated pair. This is definitely a phenomenon, and I'm scared that this will get out in the supernatural world.

Major Jasper Whitlock mates with human child.

I get a really sick feeling in my stomach, thinking of how many vampires would love to get their hands on her, just to hurt him. Killing Bella would be the greatest revenge against Jasper. especially one bitch that would love to get her Major back.

Maria.

Ugh, that fucking name drives a chill down my spine. If I was a human, I bet that bitch would be the star of my nightmares. Makes me glad I can't sleep. Shaking my head, I take some shampoo and run it through Bella's hair, looking down at the tiny girl.

"So, what do you think of the Major?" I ask and she looks up, smiling.

"I like my Jasper." My hands stop at this as I freeze. Could she possibly know that he's her mate? Does she have any idea what mates are?

"Your Jasper?" I ask and Bella tilts her head back as I wash the shampoo out of her hair.

"Mhm. Lydia said that one day, I would meet a vampire who would be mine, and I would be his. She said that when he wasn't around, my chest would hurt because the pain of being away from him. But, when I would be with him, I would feel whole. That's how I feel with my Jasper around." Bella explains and I drop the conditioner in the tub. Well, Lydia certainly informed her about a lot, didn't she? I pick up the bottle and put some in Bella's hair, quickly washing it out. I then grab the wash cloth and wash her body, silently processing what she just told me.

This little girl is more exposed to this shit than we thought.

I pull the plug and lift her out of the tub, drying her off before changing her into her pajamas. She sits down at her small desk and I grab a hairbrush to brush out her brown curls. "Okay, Sweet Thing. Story time."

Bella hops down off the chair and over to her bed, pulling the covers down as I walk over to her bookcase, taking Hansel and Gretel off the shelf. I then walk over to the bed, laying down next to Bella as I open the story book.

"Once upon a time, Hard by a great forest dwelt a poor wood-cutter with his wife and his two children. The boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel..."

* * *

**Jasper Hale POV**

I listen to Charlotte tell the bedtime story to Bella, smiling when I hear her giggle when Charlotte makes a funny voice for one of the characters. Charlotte ends the story and Peter walks into the bedroom, telling Bella goodnight. I can feel the familial love radiating from Charlotte and Peter, and it pleases me to know that my mate has good people I trust raising her. Peter and Charlotte will treat her the way she deserves to be treated.

I'm pulled from his thoughts as Peter and Charlotte walk out of Bella's bedroom, looking over to me. "She wants to say goodnight to you, too."

I raise my eyebrows in surprise, but happiness is coursing through me as I stand up, walking over to the bedroom they just exited. I peek in the doorway to the purple room, seeing Bella under the covers, clutching a teddy bear to her.

"Hi, Jasper." Bella's voice says and I smile, walking over and sitting on the bed.

"Hi, Bella." I reply, earning a bright smile in return.

"You'll really play with me tomorrow?" she asks me and I smile, nodding my head. I'll do anything for her.

"Of course. We can spend the whole day together if you'd like." I tell her and she instantly nods her head.

"Goodnight, Jasper." I pull the covers up, tucking her in before brushing a curl from her face.

"Goodnight, Darlin'. Sweet dreams." I say, leaning down and placing a kiss on her head. She smiles before rolling over, closing her eyes. I shut the light off and close the door, walking into the living room where Peter and Charlotte are. I want some answers.

"Your daughter?" I start, sitting down on the sofa chair as Peter wraps an arm around Char, leaning back on the couch.

"Let's start from the beginning. Char and I were passing through Phoenix when we smelled a vampire. Idiot was eating on an open road, so we were just going to leave. We heard Little Bit crying and Charlotte booked it over to her. Found a nomad making a happy meal out of Bella's mama, while she was watching."

"Shit." I hiss, looking towards her bedroom.

"Peter disposed of the cretin and I went over to Bella. She asked me if her mama died and then said that her daddy was dead too. We couldn't exactly drop her off anywhere, so we took her home." Charlotte explains and then Peter chuckles, shaking his head.

"Get this shit - Little Bit flat out calls us out on being vampires. She's a smart little thing. Anyway, when we asked how she knew, she told us about this vampire who was her 'best friend' in Phoenix before she had to go back home. Guess where this fucking vampire is from." Peter says and I frown.

"Where?"

"Fucking Volterra!" Peter quietly hisses and I widen my eyes. Shit, that means the Volturi could catch word of mouth about Bella. What if she works for the Volturi. My mind is going into overdrive as worst case scenarios are running through my mind, the black haze falling over my vision. I start to shake in anger as a growl works its way up my throat.

"That's why we're going to have to keep _this _under wraps. Bella is going to be our secret, I don't even want to tell the Cullens in case Aro is still friendly with Carlisle." Peter tells me and I nod my head, agreeing with him.

"I've been thinking, though..." Charlotte pipes up, both of us turning towards her, wanting to know what she has to say. "There would be a lot of vampires who would love to get their hands on her to hurt you, not just the Volturi...especially _her._"

My continuous growls erupted from my chest as soon as Charlotte said something about vampires trying to take my Bella away from me. Peter recognizes that his beast is going to come out. "Come on." Peter says and I run outside, not wanting to disturb my mate with her sleep. I run towards the forest with Peter behind me, before I detonate.

"She's not going to fucking touch her! I'll kill her before she even fucking thinks about it! Bella is mine! Fuck!" I erupt, the black haze over my eyes as I massacre everything I can get my hands on. Maria will not touch my Bella.

I will kill her _and _anyone else who thinks about taking her away from me, with no remorse. I'm not taking chances with Bella, the girl who holds my heart! No one will take her from me and no one will hurt her. I will unleash the God of War. He's been chained up for forty years and would love to handle anyone who dares look at our mate the wrong way.

**Yes, we would. We will kill them all. Protect our mate, at all costs.**

* * *

I "wake up" from my haze, seeing multiple trees knocked over, holes in the ground. Peter sitting on a log, patiently waiting for me. I stand up and brush the dirt and twigs off my clothes, Peter standing up hesitantly.

"How long was I out?" I ask him and he shrugs.

"An hour and a half, give or take." he replies and I run my hands through my hair, blowing out a breath.

"That's the first time I've heard _him _in a while." I tell him, a little disappointed that I let him out so easily. Peter just shrugs, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"You felt that your mate was being threatened. Totally understandable, man." Peter says, goofy grin on his face that I can't help but smile at. My brother always did know how to make me feel better. "Come on, let's get back to the house."

We walk back to the house, seeing Charlotte standing on the dark porch watching us approach. Peter kisses her before we all walk back inside the quiet house, only the sound of my angel's steady heartbeat breaking the silence. Music to my ears.

After we sit down, Charlotte turns to me, "As I was saying, I think that we should take Sweet Thing and move farther up north. We just need to get as far away from Mexico as we can."

I nod my head, thinking of what we could do. "Canada would be best. We'll have to get the documents from Jenks for her, first. That should only take a week. I'll call him and tell him what we need, I'll also tell him to draw up divorce papers. I'm going to go back to being Jasper Whitlock. I have a house up in Saskatchewan we could use. I bought it about twenty years ago just in case Alice and I needed a getaway from the Cullens, but it's purchased in my name. We never even used it. It's secluded, large and has a lot of land, but it is close enough to town where we could get stuff for Bella and possibly start her in school, but we'll talk about that later." I say, letting the Major take this over since strategizing was always his strong suit. "Tell me what you know about Bella so I know what to tell Jenks."

Peter and Charlotte know that the Major is out, so they go back to their training. "Bella was born Isabella Marie Swan on September 13, 1987. She doesn't have any living family and as far as anybody who knew her is concerned, Bella Swan is dead."

"Bella Swan is dead, and will stay that way." I tell them, thinking. "Isabella Marie Hale was born on September 13, 1987, her parents tragically died and she was adopted by Peter and Charlotte Whitlock. I'll get him to draw up adoption papers. I'm going to set up a bank account in her name for her to use in the future." I tell them and Peter chuckles.

"Good luck with that, Major. That girl does not like people spending money on her that's not necessary. I doubt she'll want to spend money on herself." Peter tells me and I snort.

"Well, she better get used to it. I plan on taking care of and spoiling her for the rest of eternity." Oh, I am looking forward to spoiling my Bella. Anything she wants, I will lay the world down for her if she wanted it.

The rest of the night, we talked about the future with Bella and the Cullens. I will go back to Missouri to tell them that I am leaving, and that I want a divorce from Alice. I'll tell her that Jenks is sending the papers in the mail, and I will come back to my mate. I don't want to be away from her and I don't want anybody finding out about her that shouldn't, so we are not going to tell the Cullens about her. I will tell them that I am leaving to live with my brother and sister since I miss them so much. If they don't approve, tough shit.

I'm on top of the fucking world, stupid happy right now.

Seven o'clock rolls around and I walk into the kitchen and over to the telephone. I dial Jenks' number and he answers on the fourth ring.

"Jason Jenks." he greets in a montone and I adopt the voice that scares the absolute shit out of him.

"Jenks." I all but growl out and smirk when I hear his frantic voice.

"M-Mr. Whitlock, what can I do for you?" he sputters out, my smirk growing.

"I need important documents and I'm going to need them in the next week. First, I need a birth certificate for a Isabella Marie Hale. Born on September 13, 1987 in Houston, Texas. Social security card, the works. Next, I need adoption papers for Isabella to Peter and Charlotte Whitlock, her last name will be changed to Whitlock. Lastly, I need all of _my_ Whitlock documents. Driver's license, bank information, **all of it.** Make sure you update my age -"

"Sir, you need all of this in the next week?" he interrupts, shocked and I growl into the phone.

"Will that be a problem? Will I have to make a visit to Seattle?" I ask, my voice menacing.

"N-N-No, sir. No problem. I will have this all done for you and sent this week." he tells me, his voice fearful.

"Very well. Make sure you update my age to twenty. Oh, and I also need divorce papers for Alice and I. Make sure you send them to the Missouri home and send the other information to Peter and Charlotte's home in Tahoka. Put a priority on it, I want it by no later than Friday. _Do not let Alice or anyone else know about Isabella, Jenks. No one._" I stress the last part in a growl, hearing a gulp come from the other end.

"You can trust me, Mr. Whitlock." Jenks says and I smirk, knowing that I just put the fear of God in him.

"Let's hope that we can...for your sake." I then hang up the phone, seeing Charlotte walk in with raised eyebrows.

"You're going to give that poor man a heart attack." Charlotte comments as I smile, shaking my head.

"Being scared keeps him loyal and silent." Jasper reminds her as she walks to the fridge, pulling out milk and eggs. She then pulls out some flour and sugar from the cabinets as I sit down at the table, watching her cook.

"Bella likes pancakes." she explains, starting to make my angel's breakfast. I smile and watch as Peter saunters into the room, grin on his face.

"You really scared the shit out of Jenks, Major." Peter comments, wrapping his arm around his mate's waist from behind.

"Like I said - loyal and silent." I tell them with a shrug, all of us turning towards the direction of Bella's room, hearing the floor creak followed by a tiny yawn.

"I'll go help her." Peter says, kissing Charlotte's mating mark before walking out of the kitchen. "Good morning, Little Bit." I hear from the room.

"Morning." Bella's sleepy voice replies, a smile gracing my face. Charlotte places some pancakes on Bella's plate as we hear the sink turn on in her bathroom.

"She called you _'my Jasper'_ last night." Charlotte says and I raise both of my eyebrows in surprise, and little delight.

"Does she -" I start, but Char cuts me off.

"She said that Lydia told her that she would meet her mate one day, but she doesn't exactly know what a mate is. She basically just told her about the mating pull. The ache in your chest when they're not there." Charlotte says and I nod my head. Good, we can leave it at that for right now, and explain later. Much, much later. I have to say that I'm pleased that I'm_ her Jasper_, just like she's _my Bella. _

She places the plate on the spot next to me as Bella walks into the room, her face brightening when she sees me. "Good morning, Darlin'."

"Good morning, Jasper." she says with a big smile, walking over to me. I pick her up and place her on my lap as Charlotte slides the pancakes over to her. "Thank you, Char."

"No problem, Sweet Thing." she replies with a wink. Bella grabs her fork and starts eating her breakfast. Peter grimaces at Bella's breakfast, and I'll admit, it doesn't smell that appetizing to me, but it's not disgusting.

"I don't know how you can eat that stuff, Little Bit." Peter says, shaking his head while Char walks over, smacking him on the head. Bella giggles as she chews, bringing a smile to my face.

"Blood doesn't taste as good as Char's cooking." Bella says, causing me to chuckle as she turns around to see me, smile on her face.

"I disagree, Cupcake." Peter says and Charlotte rounds on him.

"What? You saying my cooking isn't good?" Charlotte asks, raised eyebrow, Peter cowering back in fear.

"Uh-oh." Bella says, looking at me with a grin as I smile, watching what is about to unfold.

"Baby, you know I didn't mean it like that." Peter tries to explain as Charlotte stalks him, Peter backing up into a wall. She gets a mean looking smirk on her face as Bella turns towards me.

"He's in trouble." Bella tells me, finishing up her breakfast.

"Big trouble." I reply, setting her on my hip as I stand up, letting Peter and Charlotte settle their little dispute as I take Bella outside. Bella wiggles, signaling for me to put her down and I comply, but she immediately grabs my hand, pulling me along.

"Come on." she says and I smile, following Bella around the property while hearing Peter and Charlotte. "Jasper, how old are you?"

I look down at my mate, "I'm twenty."

"Vampire years?" she asks, tilting her head and I smile. Amazing how this little thing takes this vampire shit all in stride.

"One hundred and forty-seven." I tell her and laugh when she just shrugs.

"You're old, but not as old as Lydia. She's four hundred and forty-one!"

"Well, thank you, Darlin'. I'm glad you don't think that I'm that old." I reply, chuckling at my mate as she smiles up at me.

"Well, you're still old." she says and I look down at her, her mischievous smile beaming on her face as I playfully narrow my eyes.

"Oh, yeah?" I ask and she giggles, nodding her head. I then scoop her up, reveling in the sound of her laughing which is spreading warmth throughout my chest. I throw her into the air, earning a squeal before I catch her, laughing. I then tickle her stomach, Bella's laughter growing. "You think I'm old, do ya? Do ya?"

"No! Jasper...stop!" She laughs in between words, trying to catch her breath. "No, you're not old." she says, so I set her down on the ground. "You're really old!" she yells before running away, laughing. I shake my head before chasing after her, loving the joy and happiness coming off the both of us.

The rest of the day is spent with Bella, her asking me some questions about myself which I answer the best I can. Peter then yells. from the house that it's dinner time for Bella. I know he also wants to tell her about us moving, which I agree with. I'm going to go home tomorrow, pack my things and come back with my truck.

It's going to be hard to leave my Bella tomorrow, though. I don't think I've ever had this much fun. I'm just playing with my four-year old mate, and I'm having the time of my life. I don't even remember a time where I smiled and laughed so much. This little angel is changing me, and I like it. I like not feeling the ache in my chest anymore, I like this feeling of wholeness, I like this feeling of love coming from Bella, even if she doesn't realize it.

Bella walks into the bathroom with Char to wash her hands while I walk into the kitchen to sit with her while she eats. She runs over to me and I smile, lifting her up to my lap as she grabs her fork and digs in. "Did you have fun today with Jasper, Little Bit?" Peter asks Bella, who nods her head frantically with her mouth full of food.

"Did you have fun today with Bella, Major?" Peter asks with a shit eating grin on his face.

"Yes, I did." I say, looking at my mate, who smiles wide at me. Bella eats the rest of her dinner while I talk to Peter and Charlotte, playing with a strand of Bella's curls. I find myself smiling, excited at the prospect of living with Peter, Charlotte, and my Bella. My real family. I'm not too sure if I am going to continue this diet, or if I will follow Peter and Charlotte's diet. They might have to change their diet to animal if we're going to be secluded. I don't want them dragging a trail back to the house. I'm not sure if I want to risk Bella with them, though. Her blood smells sweet, but I have intention or inclination to drink it. That's because I'm her mate. I don't know about Peter and Charlotte, though. They could unintentionally hurt her if they were thirsty.

That thought upsets me, thinking about one of them killing Bella. They would feel terrible after, and I would probably kill them to avenge my mate, before killing myself.

I'm pulled from my thoughts by a tiny hand on my cheek. Turning my head, my eyes are locked with a pair of worried brown ones. I smile and place my hand over the top of Bella's relishing the warmth of her tiny hand on my cheek. She smiles back at me and I lift her up, carrying her into the living room, settling her onto my lap as Peter and Charlotte walk in and sit down on the couch across from us.

"We have some news, Bella." Charlotte starts, Bella looking over at her, cocking her head to the side. "We're going to be moving to Canada and Jasper is going to be living with us."

Bella whips her head towards me so fast, I think it's going to twist off her neck. The brightest smile lights up her face as I feel the happiness from her. "Really?"

I nod my head yes and she throws her arms around my neck, hugging me as Peter and Charlotte smile. "I'm happy that you're gonna live with us."

I smile and hug Bella back, taking in my mate's scent of strawberries. The scent makes me content, a purr rumbling from my chest and I feel Bella's happiness rise. We stay like this, her head laying on my chest as Peter puts on the television. At ten o'clock, Charlotte stands up and looks over to Bella.

"Come on, Baby Girl. Let's go put you in those pajamas and I'll get you a story."

"Could Jasper read me a story?" Bella asks, looking over to me.

"Of course." I reply, earing a bright smile in return before she walks over to Charlotte, following her into her bedroom. Peter is grinning his irritating grin like he normally does, making me want to smack it right off his face.

"That girl has you wrapped around her finger, Major. A little four-year old girl has turned Major Jasper Whitlock into a softie. Oh, if this ever got out." Peter says while Charlotte flits over, smacking him upside the head.

"Don't even act like she doesn't have you wrapped around her finger." Charlotte says and Peter shrugs, smile still on his face. Charlotte hands me a book and I stand up, walking into Bella's room. I see Bella under her covers, cuddling that same teddy bear to her. She brightens up when she sees me and I smile right back, walking over to the bed and sliding in next to her, opening up the book. She sits up and climbs into my lap as I open the book, looking down to my mate.

"What story do you want me to read?" I ask and she bites her lip thinking.

"Snow White."

I smile and flip the page to Little Snow-White. Bella sits on my lap while I read, completely enthralled in the book as I read. She lays her head against my chest and I smile, mimicking voices for different characters. Peter was right, many vampires would be laughing at me if they saw me right now, reading a bed time story to a four-year old girl.

The thing is, this four-year old girl is my mate, and I will do anything for her.

_"Snow-White's godless stepmother was also invited to the feast. After putting on her beautiful clothes she stepped before her mirror and said:_

_Mirror, mirror, on the wall,_  
_Who in this land is fairest of all?_

_The mirror answered:_

_You, my queen, are fair; it is true._  
_But the young queen is a thousand times fairer than you._

_The wicked woman uttered a curse, and she became so frightened, so frightened, that she did not know what to do. At first she did not want to go to the wedding, but she found no peace. She had to go and see the young queen. When she arrived she recognized Snow-White, and terrorized, she could only stand there without moving._

_Then they put a pair of iron shoes into burning coals. They were brought forth with tongs and placed before her. She was forced to step into the red-hot shoes and dance until she fell down dead. The End."_

I close the book, my sleepy mate letting out a yawn. I put the book on the table near her bed and pick her up, tucking her under the covers as she cuddles the teddy bear. "Goodnight, Jasper."

"Goodnight, Angel. Sweet Dreams." I reply, leaning down and kissing her forehead before turning the light off and walking out of the room, smiling to myself that this tiny thing has brought me such joy in such a short time.

* * *

**Anybody else love Grimms' Fairy Tales?**

**What do you think of this chapter and do you like the Whitlock's plans?**

**Posted this story on Word Press.**

**191 followers, 101 favorites, 110 reviews! Holy shit! Thank you so much, you guys are awesome!**

**-Jalen-**


	6. Truth or Consequence

**Where I Belong**

**Chapter 6**

* * *

_Song I listened to for this chapter: My Hero - Paramore (cover of Foo Fighters song)_

**Jasper Whitlock POV**

I decide that I'm going to leave right away so I could get home early and settle all of this shit, so I can get back here to my mate. Peter and Charlotte are sitting in the living room as I walk over and grab my bag. "You're leaving now?" Peter asks with a raised eyebrow. Charlotte keeps glancing towards Bella's door, worry rolling off her.

"I'd rather do it sooner than later. I want to get this done quickly so I can get back here...besides, I'd rather do it now in case there are any problems. I don't want to be away from her when she's awake." I tell him and he nods his head.

"Good luck, brother." Peter says and I nod my head, slinging the bag over my shoulders before running out of the house. The run doesn't take long especially since I'm under the cover of night. I'm not going to bring a lot with me, because most of it is stuff I don't want. I'm bringing all of the things in my study, my truck, and my Ducati. I'll buy anything I really need.

Over the years, especially using Alice with the stock market, I've acquired a vast amount of money. Alice thinks that we only had one account that we shared, but little does she know, I've stored most of my money in multiple banks that she couldn't touch, collecting interest. I always knew my time with the Cullens would come to an end one day, and I wanted to be prepared. My Bella will never have to want for anything in her life, because I will give it to her. It's the least I can do to repay her for being mated to my blackened soul. I guess this is a chance to start anew.

I'm starting a new life with my mate; or rather, I'm going back to my old one. No more of this Jasper Hale bullshit...

I'm Jasper Whitlock.

As I get farther and farther away from my mate, I feel the ripping agony in my chest. Like someone slowly sinking a knife into my heart. Oh, please do not let Bella go through the same pain. I couldn't bear it if I caused her this kind of pain. With this thought, I pick up my pace and reach the house at three in the morning, Alice waiting by the door. Here we go...

"Jazzy, you're home!" she flits over to me and throws her arms around my neck, I have to bite back the growl at the prospect of being touched by someone other than my mate. It almost feels like I'm betraying my Bella. Ugh, and that nickname. I keep thinking of the way my name passes through Bella's lips, that sweet bell-like sound. No, no...

I can't think of Bella right now, not with Edward around.

Alice realizes that I'm not hugging her and pulls back, her face scrunched up in confusion. I keep my expression stoic, not wanting to give her any clues.

"Jazz-man! Welcome home!" I'm pulled into a hug by one out of the two family members I genuinely care about, Emmett.

Emmett and Rosalie have always treated me like a real member of the "family." They never judged me when I "slipped," and they were always there for me, complete trust in me. Maybe I'll tell them about Bella later down the road. One of the few I would trust her with.

I feel a little guilty that I'm going to be leaving them, so I make a mental note of gifting Emmett and Rosalie with something, a nice thank you present.

"Thanks, Em." I reply, smiling before I'm pulled into a hug by my "twin." She's usually an ice-cold bitch to everyone, but we've always had a weird sibling connection, almost as if we are twins. We all walk up towards the house, Carlisle and Esme walking into the foyer as I enter.

"Welcome home, son." Carlisle says and I nod my head, looking around.

"We need to have a family meeting. I have something to tell everyone." I say, Carlisle and Esme sharing a glance before nodding their heads.

"Is something wrong, Jasper?" Esme asks, her warm voice full of concern.

"I'd rather tell everyone together." I say, walking into the living room as Edward walks down the stairs, frowning as he looks at me. I ignore his look, knowing that the nosy boy is trying to read my mind, so I keep my thoughts clear of my Bella. Another way to keep him out of my head, reliving all of the gruesome, horrific battles I've fought in during the Vampire Wars.

Edward visibly grimaces and I smirk, shaking my head. _Stay out of my head if you don't like what you see. _I've never gotten along with Edward, never had any desire to. He's a nosy, arrogant child with an outdated set of morals and attitude. Of course, he's Carlisle's "Golden Boy" who can do no wrong in his eyes.

I walk into the dining room and take a seat at the table, Emmett and Rosalie sitting down across from me. Alice takes a seat next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder which I can't help but cringe away from. Her eyes glaze over, but I keep my decisions clear, not wanting to give her an inch of a clue of what I'm about to say. Truth is, I don't even know how I am going to explain this to them.

The always perceptive Rosalie notices this and raises her eyebrow, which I answer with a slight shake of my head. I can't even tell Rosalie about my Bella without Edward finding out, at least not now. The boy walks in the room and takes a seat near the end of the table while Carlisle, as head of the coven, takes his seat at the end of the long table, his mate beside him. He nods his head for me to start and I clear my throat.

"I...I'm leaving." I tell them bluntly, not knowing how to put it delicately. I don't even want to beat around the bush and I am in no mood for any fucking arguments with the way my chest is feeling right now. I need to get back to her.

"What?" Alice gasps out and I sigh, running my hand through my short curls.

"What do you mean, son?" Carlisle asks me, using a calm voice.

"Carlisle, I want you to know that I appreciate everything that you've done for me. All of you, you gave me hope and a family. But, I realized this weekend how much miss my brother and sister, so I am going to live with them."

"Jasper, what about Alice?" Esme asks and I turn to a shell-shocked Alice, confused and curious to why she didn't see this coming. Are her visions faltering?

"We're not mates. Alice, you know this, we stayed with each other as companions. So we weren't lonely." I tell her and she shakes her head stubbornly as I inwardly sigh, knowing that this isn't going to be easy.

"Jazzy, you-"

"Alice. _Stop_ calling me that." I grit out, Alice looking hurt, but it's not matching her emotions. She's feeling shocked, confused, scared, and a shit ton of determination.

"We are mates, Jasper. I know we are. The pull-" She tries to explain and I shake my head, cutting her off. I know it's very rude, but I'm running out of patience.

"Alice, I'm eternally grateful that you led me to this family, but I've never felt the mating pull you say that you feel. I know we're not mates. We've never really loved each other, it was out of convenience." I try to tell her as gently as I can.

"Jasper, you're my husband. You _are _my mate and I love you. You can't leave me!" Alice practically begs, but I can't feel bad for her. I've got other things to worry about, like my Bella, sleeping peacefully at home.

"I've called Jenks and the divorce papers will arrive this week."

"No!" Alice shouts, her emotions not even showing incredibly determination. "You're not leaving, you're staying here."

"_Do not _tell me what to do, Alice." I snap, trying to not lose my temper.

"Jasper, are you sure this is what you want?" Rosalie asks me, her emotions completely sincere and concerned for me. Emmett looks the same, tilting his head while waiting for what I have to say. I'm thankful that my siblings are concerned with what _I _want.

"Yes, I want to be with my family-" I start, but am cut off by a very angry pixie vampire.

"We are your family! _We_ are! Not those uncouth savages that kill humans!" At that ludicrous statement, I lose it and round on her while she shrinks back, fear rolling off of her like a giant wave, washing over me. The Major is reveling in it, however. He decided to make an appearance since this was taking too long and we need to get back to our mate. Something is off, but she is not in any immediate danger.

"NEVER call them that again! You don't know anything about them, _Alice._ You have no right to judge them, and if I ever hear you insult them again..." I back Alice into a corner, snarling at her with narrowed eyes. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, calming myself and locking the Major back up in his cage. I then turn around to my family, Edward looking at me wearily; Esme looking shocked and concerned for Alice; Carlisle tries to remain calm, though his emotions are worried; Rosalie and Emmett are looking and feeling smug, their eyes on Alice.

They never liked Alice in the first place, always annoyed with her using her visions to control everything. Her and Edward always grated their nerves with their arrogance.

"I'm going to pack my things and I'll be gone in the next hour." I then walk down to the basement, grabbing a couple of cardboard boxes we keep for moving out of it. I open my study and take all important memorabilia that I cannot live without. I then empty the files out of my desk, putting them in my boxes.

I open my safe and take out the money, important items and files I keep in there, packing them away in one of my bags. I walk downstairs into the garage, lifting my Ducati up and putting it in the back of my truck, before flitting upstairs and grabbing the boxes, loading them in the backseat. I walk back upstairs and into, now Alice's, bedroom. I can't help the smile that crosses my face as I am finally free of her telling me what to wear, and how to act. No more Jazzy. I walk into the closet, smiling when I see the cowboy boots she hates in there, grabbing them and taking off my sneakers, slipping them on my feet. That's better.

My phone is ringing from my study and I walk in there, picking it up and placing it to my ear, hearing the one sound that scares me.

**Bella Whitlock POV**

_I'm running through the forest with my Jasper, laughing as he chases me. I hear him laughing before the forest gets dark and I stop running, scared. I turn around and see mommy and daddy standing there._

_"Mommy! Daddy!" I yell out and run towards them, but they turn around and walk away. Why are they walking away from me? I try to follow them, but they're gone! I look around for them, seeing my Grandma standing there._

_"Nana!" I try to run towards her, but she turns around and walks away from me. Why are they leaving? I hear leaves crunching and turn around to see Lydia standing there._

_"Lydia!" she does the same thing as my mommy, daddy, and Nana. She turns around and leaves me._

_"No! Don't leave me!" I yell out, feeling tears stinging my eyes._

_"Bella." I hear Jasper call out my name and I turn around to see him standing there. "Goodbye, Angel." he says before turning around and running away from me._

_"No! Jasper, don't go!" I scream as loud as I can, trying to chase him. Why is he leaving me? Why is everyone leaving me? "Jasper, please!"_

_"Bella! Little Bit!" I hear Peter and Charlotte yelling, but I need to follow my Jasper. "Little Bit, it's just a nightmare, wake up!"_

I open my eyes to see Charlotte and Peter leaning over me. Where is he?

"Where's Jasper?" I ask and the look at each other with wide eyes.

"Sweet Thing, he had to go ba-" I start crying before she finishes because he left me, just like in my dream. Charlotte pulls me into her arms as I continue to cry, wondering what I did to make my Jasper leave me. My chest starts to burn and I gasp, putting my hand over my chest. Charlotte pulls back to look at me and then turns to Peter, saying something about a pull.

"Why d-did he leave m-me? What d-did I do? Where's my Jasper? Why i-is everyone leaving m-me?"

Peter then runs out of the room and I sob into Charlotte's shoulder, rubbing my chest while trying to make this pain go away.

"My chest...it hurts, Char. Make it stop..."

"I know it hurts, Sweet Thing. I'm so sorry." she says, rocking me back and forth in her arms.

I then hear Peter in the kitchen, "Major." he says and my eyes widen, wiggling out of Charlotte's grasp to go find him. Did he come back for me?

"Jasper!" I cry out, running into the kitchen to see Peter turning around, phone to his ear. He's not here. He left me. My Jasper left me. What did I do? Did I do something wrong?

I start to feel really dizzy and everything gets blurry. My chest feels like it's getting smaller and I can't breathe. "Bella!" I hear Charlotte yell.

"Oh, shit!" Is the last thing I hear before everything goes black, and I become as light as a feather.

**Jasper Whitlock POV**

"Jasper!" I hear my angel cry out, her voice so distressed and I start to go into panic mode, growl working its way up from my chest. I growl into the phone, thinking that something is wrong at the house. That something or someone is threatening my mate. **I'll kill them.** I hear that her breathing is erratic and she's obviously been crying. She's hurting and she's sad, and I'm not there to help her. Fuck!

"Bella!" Charlotte yells and my dead heart drops.

"Oh, shit!" I hear Peter yell before I hear the phone crash to the ground. I listen to Charlotte say Bella's name a couple of times and some muttered curses while I sit impatiently waiting to know what happened to my mate,

"Peter..._Peter_...Captain!" I growl out, clutching the phone tightly. I hear him scramble over to the phone.

"Major," he says, sounding a little panicked and I try to calm myself, to no avail.

"Report! Now!" I growl, needing to know what is wrong with my mate and what I need to do to make it better.

"Major, your mate was having a nightmare and we woke her up." I'm so glad that I had this room sound-proofed. No one in the house will be able to hear this conversation, but I concentrate on keeping my mind blank in case Eddie boy is listening. "When she woke up, she asked for you and we started to explain that you had to go back to your house, but you were coming right back, she panicked thinking that you had left her. She then started to feel the pull, and her chest was hurting. She thought that she did something to make you leave. What you just heard was her hyperventilating...she just passed out. Charlotte is placing her back in the bed, but you need to get home soon."

"Five hours." I tell him before hanging up, slamming the phone back down and breaking it. I don't even care, but I know have to calm myself. It's upsetting me that my mate thinks me leaving to come back here was her fault. I should have told her that I was leaving. Damnit!

I take deep breaths, the damn pain shooting through my chest. I know that I have to get out of here, so I exit the room and walk down the stairs, seeing Alice look at me before walking into the living room, not an ounce of sadness rolling off her. In fact, she's pissed off. Her anger is skyrocketing and I narrow my eyes at her. She's too angry.

Carlisle and Esme walk into the foyer and approach me. "Whatever you think is best for you, we will support. You will always have a place in this family." Carlisle tells me and I give him a nod of thanks before Esme walks up, pulling me in for a gentle hug.

"Be safe, Jasper." I nod my head when she pulls back. Rosalie and Emmett approach me as Carlisle and Esme leave.

"At least come visit once in a while, yeah?" Rosalie asks and I give her a small smile.

"Of course." I reply and she pulls me in for a hug, before Emmett does the same.

"Give my regards to Petey." he says and I crack a small smile, nodding. Peter and Emmett clicked as soon as they met each other, both of them having the same sense of humor.

"I'll see you." I say before walking into the garage and getting in my truck, starting it up. I pull away from the Missouri home and head towards my mate, breaking every speed limit possible, not even caring because the cop that pulls me over will be having a very bad day.

The ache in my chest is lessening and I hope that it's doing the same for my mate. I never want to see or hear her in pain. If the pain that I felt matches hers...I don't know how her tiny body could handle that. I curse myself for causing my mate that much harm.

I finally arrive in Tahoka at nine in the morning. I'm thankful for my tinted windows because the sun is shining in Texas. I speed through the small town and make the turn onto the long driveway towards Peter and Charlotte's home, the pain almost gone now and I hope that it's doing the same for Bella.

I pull up to the house and jump out of the car, running in. Peter stops mid-pace and looks over to me, relief flowing off of him as he sits down on the couch, placing his head in his hands.

"Thank God." he mutters and I flit over to Bella's room, seeing Char lying in bed with her as she sleeps, clutching the teddy bear tightly to her. Charlotte sighs and gets up while I walk over, sliding into the bed next to her, brushing some curls away from her face. Charlotte exits the room as I stare down at my mate, able to breathe easier as I see that she is here and she is safe.

I'm never leaving her again. I will not put her in that pain again. I sigh, closing my eyes and reveling in the calm. Bella's emotions have calmed, recognizing that I am here. I look downt at the sleeping beauty and inhale, and smiling as I smell my mate's scent. Strawberries.

"Jasper?" A tiny voice stirs me out of my thoughts and my eyes snap open. Looking down, I see Bella looking at me with wide eyes. Her lips start to quiver as her face scrunches up and she bursts out crying. I immediately scoop her up and cling to her, feeling her relief that I'm here, that I didn't leave her, as she sobs into my arms.

Fuck me, why did I leave her in the first place? Why did I cause her such pain? The Cullens, _especially_ Alice, deserved nothing more than a phone call telling them that I'm not coming back and a request to ship my stuff.

I'm not leaving her again.

"Jasper, I'm sorry. P-please don't l-leave again. Everyone l-leaves m-me." Bella chokes out between sobs, my heart feeling like it's being ripped from my body.

"Shh...don't be sorry, Bella. There's no reason for you to be sorry._ I'm _sorry. I'm never leaving you, Angel. I promise. I'm never leaving you..." I murmur over and over again while I rock her, trying assure her that I will never leave her, that nothing on this Earth would make me leave her.

I don't know when it happens, but suddenly my body wracks with uncontrollable sobs, venom pooling in my eyes. I can't help it, all the emotions from Bella swirling around the room, punching me in the face. Love, happiness, relief, desperation, joy, fear...

I can't take it anymore, so I sob, clinging to my mate like a lifeline. I can't remember the last time I sobbed. I didn't even bat an eye when I saw the carnage during the Vampire Wars, but I'm sobbing like a child, clinging to my four-year old mate, because she loves me. I'm sobbing like a child because I love this little girl in my arms more than anything in the world...even more than my own life. I'm sobbing like a child because my Bella showed me what love actually is, and it's beautiful.

It's so fucking beautiful.

* * *

**So sorry I didn't post this last night. I had some internet problems.**

**What did we think of this chapter? Do you think Alice is going to give up this easy? And why is she so angry? Hm...**

**WOAH 124 favorites, 236 follows, and 142 reviews. I just want you to know, I love each and every single one of you. Like a lot. **

**Thanks a bunch**

**-Jalen-**


	7. Be It All For You

**Where I Belong**

**Chapter 7**

* * *

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Guns and Horses by Ellie Goulding_

**Jasper Whitlock POV**

The next week is spent packing everything up at the house and organizing for the move. Jenks sent the files in the mail and in return for his quick and well done work, I sent him a good amount of money in thanks. Peter and Charlotte have taken my truck and left to go get everything settled at the house while I stay in Texas with Bella.

I thought that taking care of my four-year old mate would have been difficult, but we seem to be in sync together. I know if she needs something before she even has to ask. Cooking is another issue, and I'm happy that she knows at least how to cook some things. She finds it amusing when I don't know what something is, reveling in the fact that she's four and understands something a century old vampire does not. Cooking is not so bad, once you've gotten past the repulsive stench of the milk and eggs. The meat isn't too bad to work with, neither is the pasta. Reading those cookbooks while Bella is sleeping is helping me, though.

I made sure to hunt close to the house _and _while Bella is sleeping. I don't like to stray to far because the first time I did that, she woke up from the pain in her chest. Almost had a panic attack from me not being there. I felt her panicky emotions and rushed home, holding her as she cried until she fell asleep. Broke my fucking heart seeing her like that.

Peter and Charlotte called yesterday, telling me the house is stocked with food, heated, furnished, and ready for Bella to live in. They already painted and decorated her room, hoping to surprise her. I am excited for Bella to see the house, and I hope it's too her liking. Thankfully we're moving to an are which won't be too cold for her to live in, and we're close enough to the town to buy anything she needs.

I just want to get as far from Mexico as possible, as far away from _her_ as possible. I know she's out there, wanting me to join her again. She never could handle the newborns correctly without my help. I know she would do just about anything to get me to come back to her and stealing a little girl is not above her, especially if it's my mate. I would do anything to get Bella back if she was taken from me. I would kill anyone without hesitation if Bella was threatened.

Just the thought causes a snarl to escape my mouth, causing the little angel in my arms to stir from her nap. She always asks me to hold her as she falls asleep, explaining that I keep the nightmares away. I'm more than happy to comply, because I cherish these moments. I'm looking forward to when she's older and our feelings will grow, but for now, I'm enjoying taking care of her as a child.

Bella takes a deep breath and opens her brown eyes, giving me a sleepy smile as she brings her tiny fists up and rubs her eyes. "Did you sleep well, Angel?"

She nods her head and yawns, "Yes. Are you okay, Jasper?"

She reaches her hand up and touches my cheek, the warmth of it so soothing. I smile and place mine over top of hers, moving my head and kissing her palm. "I'm fine, Bella. Do you want me to make you something to eat?"

"Yes, please." I pick her up, placing her on my hip as we walk into the kitchen.

"What do you want to eat?" I ask and she bites her lip while looking upward thoughtfully while I have to chuckle.

"What?" she asks, wondering why I'm laughing.

"Your face was cute." I explain and she rolls her eyes, thinking again.

"PB&J." she tells me and I walk over to the pantry, grabbing the bread and handing it to Bella who is still on my hip. I then grab the peanut butter and close the pantry door. I set Bella down on the counter as I walk over to the fridge, grabbing the jar of jelly out to make her sandwich.

"Jasper?" Bella says as I'm spreading the peanut butter on the bread.

I look up to her, opening the jar of jelly. "Yes, Sweetheart?"

"Can I ask you a question?" she asks, tilting her head and I look over to her.

"You can ask me anything, Bella."

She bites her lip, feeling unsure, but I wait patiently for her. "What does blood taste like?"

I was not expecting that question at all from Bella. I look over to her, head tilted while waiting for my answer, curiosity pooling off her. "Salty."

"...salty?" She asks and I nod my head, not wanting to go into further details about that sweet, red ambrosia. I don't even want to be tempted to go out and hunt if we keep talking about it. She is a curious child, though.

"It's not half as good as this sandwich I just made for you." I tell her and she giggles, bright smile spreading across her face. "Don't worry about what blood tastes like, Bella." There is some gentle rebuking there, because she doesn't need to worry about. At least, not right now.

"Okay, Jasper." she says with a small smile and I hand her the plate, picking her up and carrying her into the living room. I turn on the tv as she sits in my lap, eating her lunch, while I twirl a piece of her hair with my fingers.

Tomorrow was the day that they would make their way up to the Canadian house. Peter and Charlotte are already waiting up there for us while Bella and I are taking a flight tomorrow morning. I figured a twenty-four hour car ride wouldn't be comfortable for my mate, but a five-hour plane ride would be okay. I would probably influence her to sleep the whole way anyway, just because I don't know if she's scared of planes.

"Bella, are you excited to go to our new home tomorrow?" I ask and she turns to me with a smile, nodding her head.

"Yeah. I'm happy you're staying." Bella says while my lips curve into a grin.

"Me too, Sweetheart." I tell her and then she bites her lip, slight fear rolling off her. The fear comes so suddenly, I almost growl and back Bella into a corner to protect her.

"You're...you're not gonna leave again...right?" she asks, brow furrowed in worry while I lean forward and kiss her forehead.

"I'm never leaving you again, Angel." I assure her and her brown eyes brighten as she grins.

"Promise?" she asks, holding out her tiny pinky. I chuckle and hook mine with hers, her smile widening.

"I promise, Bella."

After Bella's bath, I carry her over to the bed and lay her down, holding her in my lap as I open the story book to read her a bedtime story.

_"__...and then the prince and Briar Rose were married, and the wedding feast was given; and they lived happily together all their lives long. The End."_

Bella yawns as I close the book, giving me a sleep smile as she lays her head on my chest. "Goodnight, Jasper. I love you."

I look down at her in surprise, my heart leaping as I hear those three words pass through her lips. I feel a warmth spreading through my body, hugging me like a thick blanket as I see Bella smile at me. Those three little words hold so much conviction as I feel the love radiating off her.

"I love you too, Sweetheart. More than anything." I place a kiss on her head as she gives me another smile, closing her eyes and falling asleep in minutes. I listen to her rhythmic breathing as she sleeps in my arms, not even bothering to keep the wide smile from my face.

At six in the morning, I lay Bella down on the bed and walk out of her room, throwing away all of the food that will go bad. I then get dressed and grab the carry on bag Charlotte readied with some things for Bella to occupy her time during the flight, and put it by the door. I will be driving Bella and I in Peter's truck to the airport where he'll go get it in a couple of days. Walking back into Bella's room, I gently shake her, murmuring that it's time to wake up.

She opens her big, brown eyes and rubs them with her tiny fists, yawning while I smile at the sight. "Come on, Sweetheart."

I walk over to her dresser and pull out some warm clothes for her, grabbing the winter jacket that Charlotte bought for her. She called and said she bought Bella some new, warmer clothes since she only had warm weather clothes from living down south. I help Bella get dressed and give her a banana to eat the car as I carry her outside, my angel clutching her teddy bear to her. I quickly lock up the house and place her into her car seat before walking around to my side. Sliding in the front seat, I glance in the rearview mirror, seeing Bella grin at me as she chews a piece of the fruit.

"Are you ready, Angel?" I ask and she nods her head. I smile and pull away from the house, heading to Abilene Regional airport. It takes about two hours to get there and I notice Bella has fallen asleep in her car seat. I park the car and get out, gently lifting up my mate so I don't disturb her from her sleep.

I carry her through security, and all the way to our gate, waiting to board. I look down at my adorable sleeping mate, smiling as I brush some curls away from her face as she cuddles more into my chest, hugging the bear like a lifeline.

"Oh my gosh, she's adorable!" I hear someone gush and look up, seeing a woman standing there who looks to be my physical age. She's what a human would consider pretty with her long red hair and green eyes, wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a tank top. She's looking at Bella before lifting her eyes to me, some lust shooting off her as I inwardly roll my eyes. Ever since I found Bella, I have no desire for sex anymore, which is good because I'm going to have to wait about fourteen years for my Bella. "Is she your daughter?"

I resist the urge to grimace at this. We don't even look alike! "Uh...no, she's my...best friend's daughter."

At this, her relief and lust spikes as I sigh, adjusting Bella on my lap. "She's beautiful. What's her name?"

"Bella." I reply, keeping my eyes on the sleeping girl.

"I'm Felicity. What's your name?" she asks, sending off a shit ton of lust my way as she attempts to flirt with me.

"Jasper." I reply in a monotone, trying to find a way out of this conversation.

"Interesting name. So-" she starts, but is cut off by the flight attendant announcing we can board the plane. "Maybe we could exchan-"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. But, I'm...committed to someone already." I tell her, walking right by her and handing the attendant our tickets before boarding the plane. My top priority is this girl in my arms, no one else.

Bella wakes up halfway through the flight while I place her on my lap, holding her as she looks through a book Charlotte packed for her. Being in a tube surrounded by humans was not as stressful as I thought, especially with the comfort of my mate's scent surrounding me. The flight actually goes by rather quick and I place Bella back in her seat when we are about to land, strapping her in and sending her some comfort and calm in case she gets scared. She reaches out and takes my hands while my large one swallows her small one. We finally land in Regina without any problems, the weather is overcast with snow on the ground.

I pick Bella up and place her on my hip, carrying her out of the plane and through the airport to find Peter and Charlotte. I finally spot Peter and Charlotte waiting for us, wide smiles on their faces. "Bella."

She lifts up her head and follows my gaze, seeing her adoptive parents. She wiggles, signaling for me to put her down and I comply as she immediately takes off towards them. Charlotte meets her halfway, crouching down and opening her arms as Bella runs into them, hugging Charlotte. Peter watches the exchange with a smile, walking over to us and clapping me on the back. "Everything's all set."

After a little bit, Bella turns towards Peter who scoops her up, "There's my girl!" Bella giggles as he throws her in the air before kissing her cheek. I can feel the familial love radiating off them and it makes me smile, knowing how much my brother and sister care for my mate, their adopted daughter.

I scoop Bella back up as soon as Peter puts her down, following my brother and sister to the parking lot. I place the hood over Bella's head and tighten the jacket around her, knowing how cold it's going to be for her here in Canada. It's not as cold as the places more up north, but it's still cold. Peter and Charlotte have kept the heat on in the house so it's nice and warm for my mate. I want her to be completely comfortable at all times. I feel wonder, joy, and curiosity, but it's not my own. Looking down, I see Bella looking around with wide brown eyes, taking in her surroundings.

"Jasper...snow." she utters, a smile curving at her lips as she reaches out and catches a snowflake in her hand. I realize since she grew up in Phoenix, she's never seen snow before. It's so adorable to see her taking such innocent joy in something as simple as a snow.

"I know, Darlin'." I reply, kissing her forehead.

"You're going to be seeing a lot of snow living up here, Little Bit." Peter tells her and her eyes widen as I chuckle.

"Really?" she asks, shocked while looking between the three of us. We all nod our heads and her joy grows as she lays her head on my shoulder, smiling.

We walk over to my truck, Peter and Charlotte sliding in the front as I put Bella in her car seat, sliding in the backseat behind her. It's about a three-hour drive from the airport to the house, so I hand Bella a coloring book and some crayons to pass the time.

"How was she, Major?" Peter asks, using vampire speed so Bella doesn't hear.

"Perfect, as always." I reply, Char turning around and grinning at her.

"We've stocked the fridge and pantry with her favorites, Char already started her dinner that's in the crock pot for her when we get home. The heat is on so the house is warm for her, plumbing is set up. Everything is ready, Major." Peter tells me and I nod my head.

"Well done, you two." I comment and they send their gratitude, Peter turning up the radio and singing along off-key to songs as Bella looks over to me with a grimace. Charlotte eventually smacks him on the head which sends them into a bickering match, amusing Bella and I for the entire ride to the house.

Peter pulls down the long winding driveway and the large house finally comes into view. It's a mansion-sized log home surrounded by 7,000 square feet of land and forest with a clear view of the mountains. It's just as perfect as it was when I first purchased it.

"This is our home?" Bella asks, her eyes wide. She turns to me, shocked and I smile at her, nodding my head.

"Do you like it, Sweet Thing?" Charlotte asks and Bella frantically nods her head. Peter finally pulls up to the garage, shutting the car off. I get out and walk over to Bella's side, unhooking the straps to the car seat and setting her on my hip as she looks around, seeing all of the snow surrounding us. Bella's nose and cheeks are turning rosy from the cold

"I'll take you out to play in it after I show you the house. Okay, Darlin'?" I tell her ands he nods her head, I use my vampire speed to enter the house, looking around. Peter and Charlotte did a good job furnishing the place and I'm impressed. I unzip Bella's thick, purple jacket and slide it off her shoulders, setting it on the couch.

"Do you want to go see your bedroom?" I ask and she nods her head, infectious grin spreading across her face. I then flit up the stairs, walking over to the specific room I wanted as hers. I open the door and set her down, letting her walk in to look at her room. Her eyes widen as she sees it and she walks around, seeing everything.

Jasper stands back, letting Bella take a look at her new room. She takes her time looking at everything, eyes wide in awe. "Do you like it, Angel?"

"Yeah!" Bella says, running over to me as I crouch down opening my arms and letting her run into them. She hugs me tightly, turning her head and kissing my cheek. "Thank you, Jasper."

"You're welcome, Bella."

* * *

**April 13, 1993  
Duluth, Minnesota  
11:34 am**

**Alice Cullen POV**

I'm sitting in the living room, looking through a Vogue as Edward softly plays the piano. Rosalie and Emmett are in their bedroom doing their normal activities while Carlisle is at work. Esme is sitting across from me, looking over some designs for the living room. We moved to Duluth a couple of months ago, moving away from Greenville. There's some bitter memories in that town especially because _he _left.

Nothing has been the same since he left. Jasper was the one who used his emotions to hold us together. To keep everything right. With my visions and his ability, we were powerful. So what if we're not mates, it's for the greater good.

Emmett came across a human last year while we were hunting. Without Jasper to absorb the blood lust, Emmett slipped. Granted, it was a flithy drug dealer, but he was still human. Emmett was devastated and depressed for so long after that. Even Esme, _compassionate, sweet, couldn't hurt a fly Esme, _slipped and killed someone. It was her singer, a young girl around seventeen. That nearly destroyed her. Jasper leaving this family was the worst thing he could have done.

Of course I knew that he absorbed everyone's blood lust. It's why he's so useful, because he's strong enough to handle it. What once was a strong coven, is failing. It's all Peter and Charlotte's fault.

I haven't looked into his future lately, not wanting to see if he's moved on with some other woman. Not wanting to see if he turned into a savage. All of my years of hard work, gone! All because of those...monsters he calls "family." You know what, why not take a peek into his future. Seeing if he has gone back to being the monster he was when I found him might grant me some satisfaction.

The vision is unfocused and blurry, but I can get the gist of it.

_Jasper, with red eyes, is chasing after a little girl with long brown hair through the woods. I can only see Jasper's eyes, but I can't see the little girl's face. I can't really hear anything either. What the hell? I try to focus more, digging deeper into the vision. I can see the mountains. A large, log house in the background. Is that the Canadian house Jasper bought? What is going on?_

Realization strikes me as I gasp as I come out of the vision, Edward turning around with a frown on his face as he saw it in my head. Suddenly, everyone appears in the living room. Esme calls Carlisle and he rushes home from the hospital so I can tell him what I saw.

"What is it, Alice? What did you see?" Carlisle asks, walking over to me.

"It's Jasper! He's going to slip and kill a little girl! He's in Canada! We have to stop him!"

I'll save Jasper from doing this, he'll be so grateful, he won't have a choice but to come back to me.

* * *

**...uh-oh. So, Bella's shield is blocking Alice's visions so she has to dig deep to even get a semi okay picture of Jasper. A lot of you are wondering about Lydia and she will be explained in future chapters when Bella is older. **

**Check out my Word Press, there's pictures of the house on there. Link is on my profile!**

**Let me just take a moment to say...**

**THANK YOU to this story's 277 followers and 148 favorite-ers...**

**that's not a word, but I'm too happy to care!**

**I was so nervous to put this story up and I'm so glad you're enjoying it. **

**All of your reviews make my day! Some of you are hilarious and so sweet, thank you, thank you, thank you!**

**-Jalen-**


	8. Go Ask Alice

**Where I Belong**

**Chapter 8**

* * *

_Song I listened to for this chapter: White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane_

**April 13, 1993**  
**Saskatchewan, Canada**  
**12:04 pm**

**Jasper Whitlock POV**

Bella has been with us for seventeen months.

745,094 minutes spent with my Bella and I cherish every single one of them. She's now five and a half years old. I can't say how amazing it is to watch my Bella grow before my very eyes and it seems like time is going by very fast.

"Bella, lunch is ready!" Charlotte calls up to Bella in her room.

"Alright, Mama!" We hear from her room as I enter the kitchen, taking a seat at the counter as Charlotte finishes Bella's lunch. Bella started calling Charlotte "Mama" and Peter "Daddy" around her birthday. She said that she wanted to call them that sooner, but she felt like she was betraying her real mom and dad. She then explained that she thought her real mommy was taken from her so she wouldn't be sad anymore, but Peter and Charlotte were sent to her to be her new mom and dad.

Charlotte almost broke down when Bella first called her "Mama." It was nothing compared to Peter, though. He actually went into the woods and sobbed in happiness from it. He told me that at first, he didn't want to keep Bella because he didn't think it would be good for a little kid to be around vampires, now he says he's glad he's "pussy whipped" and listened to Char.

Not that much has changed as we're still living in the Saskatchewan house. Bella has grown taller, her hair is longer, and Charlotte started homeschooling her, but that's about it.

Well, my diet has certainly changed.

I've conformed to Charlotte and Peter's diet, to be extra careful around Bella. I just don't want to take any chances, and if that means feeling my prey's emotions before I kill them, so be it. I would do anything for her.

My darling little girl comes running into the kitchen, beaming smile plastered on her face as she looks at me. I smile back and scoop her up, placing her on my lap as Charlotte slides the plate over to her. "Thanks, Mama."

"No problem, Baby." Char replies, washing the dishes from Bella's breakfast in the sink. When she's done, she grabs her purse off the table and Peter walks in the room.

"We're heading out to do some grocery shopping. We'll be back." Charlotte says, Peter suddenly getting a confused look on his face as he scratches his head. He follows Charlotte out of the house and I watch him, curiously. What the hell is he so confused about?

* * *

A couple of hours later, I'm sitting in the living room when I hear Bella's footsteps running up to the stairs. I then hear a thud accompanied with a small "ow" before Bella starts crying. I'm up in second and flitting up stairs, seeing Bella at the top of the steps, clutching her knees. I smell the blood already, but I'm just concerned about my mate. I kneel next to her as she cries in pain, examining her knees. I scoop her up and carry her over to my bathroom, setting her on the counter.

She still has tears rolling down her cheeks and I cup her face, trying to take away some of her pain. I wipe her cheeks and she sniffles a couple of times. I then kneel in front of her to assess the wound, seeing that it's just scrapes on her knees and there doesn't seem to be any interior damage.

I grab the first aid kit out of the cabinet and quickly clean off her wound before placing band-aids over them. I kiss each of her knees, over the band-aids and Bella smiles at me, opening her arms. I know this signal and scoop her up, placing her on my hip.

"Thank you, Jasper." she tells me and I smile at her, kissing her forehead.

"No problem, Angel." I reply, carrying her out of the room and down the stairs, just in time to see Peter and Charlotte walk in the door, holding grocery bags. Charlotte smiles when she sees us, but Peter has his face scrunched up in confusion, not really looking at anyone. I frown at him, sending him my curiosity which makes him snap his head up to me.

Peter is pacing back and forth like a caged animal while Bella sits on my lap, playing with one of my hands. Charlotte is looking at her mate confused while I've had enough and I need to know what the hell is wrong with him. "Bella, Sweetheart, why don't you go out to the backyard and I'll be out in a minute." I tell her and she nods her head, hopping down off my lap and walking to the back door.

Once I hear the door close, I turn to Peter who's still pacing. "Captain, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"I don't know." he says, running a hand through his hair as he plops down on the seat next to Char.

"Baby, what do you mean?" Char gently asks, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"I mean just that. I don't know. My shit's been going off all fucking day, but I don't know. It's just telling me to be cautious. Something is going to happen...soon." Peter says and I immediately get off the couch, walking out the back door.

My heart stops and I realize I can't see Bella anywhere. "Bella?" I call out, hoping she'll appear. I then walk towards the forest, following her scent. I try to extend my senses to find my mate, but then smell something that gets my hackles up.

Multiple vampires. But that's not what adds fuel to my fire, no...I recognize these scents.

It's the Cullens.

I feel the Major taking over, our mate is in the woods with the Cullens. I still smell Bella's scent and I continue to follow it, until I hear a scream from my Bella, and I completely lose myself.

Our mate is in trouble.

* * *

**April 13, 1993**  
**Duluth, Minnesota**

**Seven hours earlier...**

**Rosalie Hale POV**

It's been over a year since we've seen Jasper, and this family is falling apart. Emmett slipped and killed someone. He felt incredibly guilty and wouldn't even let me comfort him for a while. Even Esme slipped and killed her singer. I thought she was going to completely break after that.

I just hope that Jasper is happy wherever he is, I hope he's taking care of himself.

I hear Alice tell everyone her vision while I frown in disbelief. No way Jasper would ever hurt a little girl. There's got to be some mistake. Emmett and I throw our clothes back on and run downstairs, seeing everyone gathered around Alice.

"Edward?" Carlisle asks, wanting to confirm her vision.

"It was really blurry, but yes. Jasper was chasing after a little girl." Edward tells his father.

"It's at the Canadian house he bought! We have to go, now! He'll regret this forever if he kills her."

"Where is he, Alice?" Carlisle asks and I can see Alice becoming frantic, but something is wrong.

"Saskatchewan. It's a house he bought years ago. We have to leave, now!" Alice says, standing up.

Something is definitely off about this. Jasper would never try to kill a little girl. People think that I'm just the vain, bitchy vampire and that I don't care about anything other than my appearance. Well, they're wrong.

I watch and I listen.

I knew that Jasper and Alice weren't mates, especially by the way they acted with each other. Jasper barely initiated any intimacy, only if he needed a release.

I also know that Alice is a manipulative twat who uses her visions for her own gain.

Edward is an arrogant prick who can't mind his own business.

Jasper absorbs the blood lust of everyone in the house. He takes it in himself, so that others will be able to be around humans. He's the most selfless person on this Earth. That's why Emmett and Esme slipped. I haven't told Emmett that, though.

I observe, and I'm damn good at it.

Something is up with Alice.

We all head towards Saskatchewan, running through the forests to hop the border. Alice is leading us since she knows where this house is. We arrive on their land where we all smell a human. Is it true? Is he really going to kill a little girl? We finally see an adorable little girl with long brown hair running towards us with a smile on her face. A smile? The wind carries Jasper's scent this way and I know he's close.

Edward suddenly runs up and grabs the little girl. She lets out a terror filled scream that echoes throughout the forest. "He's coming." Alice says and we all stand around, waiting for Jasper to appear. The little girl is trying to wiggle free from Edward's grip and I see she's sobbing.

"Let me go!" she cries out and I'm tempted to go over there and knock Edward away from her. I then see Jasper appear, and his face frightens me. Emmett even steps protectively in front of me, not knowing what Jasper could do.

He looks completely lethal - eyes black, teeth bared, venom dripping down his chin as he snarls at us, eyes landing on the girl. They then land on Edward, and if looks could kill, Edward would be dead. The little girl is pleading with her eyes towards Jasper and I realize...

We have it all wrong.

* * *

**Jasper Whitlock POV**

I see out of the corner of my eye that all the Cullens are here, but I'm watching Edward restraining my mate as she cries and whimpers. My fists are clenched at my side as I'm trying to strategize on how I'm going to get Bella away from him and then rip his fucking head off for touching and scaring her. I extend my senses, snarling when I feel a shit ton of blood lust coming from Edward as he looks down at my Bella.

"Jasper..." Bella whimpers out, brown eyes pleading as my anger spikes.

"Edward...I'll only say this once. Let. Her. Go. NOW!" I grit through my teeth as Edward frowns at me, radiating confusion before he looks at my mate, the same facial expression. "Don't you look at her!"

"Son, calm down-" Carlisle starts, but is cut off by Peter.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Peter snarls as he and Charlotte run over, their faces lethal and trained on Edward.

"Daddy!" Bella whimpers, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Mama!"

When Bella says this, all of the Cullens turn towards her in shock while I growl loudly, not liking all of them looking at my mate.

"What does she mean 'Daddy' 'Mama?'" Rosalie questions, looking at the little girl in Edward's arms.

"It's okay, Baby Girl." Charlotte tries to assure Bella who sobs harder as she tries to wiggle free of Edward's grip. I'm growling loudly at all of them, completely livid that they are keeping my mate away from me.

Bella turns in Edward's arms as he tightens his grip on her, the small girl uttering a quiet "ow" which almost sends me over the edge as I snarl loudly. I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna light his ass on fire and fucking kill him.

"You're hurting her." Rosalie snaps at Edward, who doesn't acknowledge that he head her. He keeps looking at_ my_ mate.

"Let my daughter go, before I shove my boot up your prepubescent sparkly ass, Cullen." Peter snarls in a dangerously calm voice, his anger spiking through the roof and I don't even bother trying calm him. I can't even calm myself. If he doesn't let go of Bella soon, and reign in his blood lust, I am going to kill him.

Edward looks over to Carlisle who gives a nod to him. Edward sighs and lets go of Bella, my little angel running over as I crouch down and scoop her up, holding her to me as I continue to growl at the Cullens. She buries her face in my neck as she shakes in fear, tightening her hold on me and sobbing. All of the Cullens look at us in shock as I just glare at them, trying to calm down my scared mate.

"Shh...it's okay, Sweetheart. You're safe now. I won't let anyone hurt you..." I murmur into her ear, feeling her calm down in my arms as her sobbing is starting to subside.

"Would you like to explain to me what gave you the right to come on our land and take Bella?" Peter asks, clenching his fists at his side.

"We were trying to protect her." Alice explains, looking right at me with Bella, confusion and envy pouring off her. Peter stares at her like she's got three heads and shares a look with Char.

"From what, exactly?" he asks and Carlisle steps forward.

"Alice had a vision of Jasper attacking the girl. We just wanted to come down here and stop him before he hurt her." he explains and I growl at this "vision" of me attacking Bella.

"I would do no such thing to my mate." I snarl, pulling Bella closer while breathing in her calming scent.

"Mate?" Alice squeaks out with wide eyes. The Major inwardly smirks at her, thinking she could try and fool us with her lies when I'm holding the _real_ reason to my existence in my arms.

"What do you mean 'mate,' son?" Carlisle asks me, stepping forward while I growl, shielding Bella with my body.

"Bella there is Jasper's mate." Peter explains, pointing to the frightened little girl in my arms.

"No, that's some kind of mistake. She can't be his mate, I am. _He's mine."_ Alice defiantly says and I growl. I'm about to snap at her, until Bella lifts her head up to glare at Alice.

"Jasper is _mine_." Bella states firmly looking at all of the Cullens while pride wells up inside of me that my five-year old mate just stood up to a coven of vampires. I can feel the family's shock at this declaration.

"Isabella is my mate; not you, Alice. It was never you." I snap at her as she still radiates determination, confusion, and her envy has spiked.

"Why don't we go to the house and tell them about Bella." Char suggests, glaring at the Cullens. I really don't want to talk to the Cullens, but we need their silence now that they've found out about Bella.

The girl in my arms shivers from the night air and I look down at her, seeing her teeth chattering. I immediately take off running to the house, wanting to get her into the warmth so she doesn't get sick. I walk inside the house and up to Bella's room, wanting to get her into warmer clothes. I set her down on her bed and sniff around her to see if she is bleeding by a cut that I somehow missed. If she is, then I will go downstairs and kill Edward. I growl when I find that I smell _him_ on her.

I put her into a pair of warm pajamas, throwing the clothes she was wearing in the trash. I then kneel in front of her, wiping her tear-stained cheeks as her lip quivers. "Are you okay, Angel?"

Bella nods her head in response, using her tiny hand to wipe away some tears. I hear the door open as the Cullens walk in the house. "Who are those people, Jasper? Why did they try to take me from you? Why did she say that you're hers? You're mine, Jasper, not hers."

It still surprises me the level of possessiveness Bella shows for me. We explained the basics of a mate to her and she understood everything, mainly because Lydia told her.

"Yes, I am yours, Bella. I used to live with those people before I met you. Alice and I were married..." Bella frowns at this and I cup her face, her jealousy rising. I bite back a chuckle at this, seeing her jealous is pretty adorable. "We only married each other because we didn't want to be lonely. She's wrong. I'm not hers, Angel. Remember how I told you that I can feel and control emotions?" at her nod, I continue. "Well, the black-haired girl can see the future and the red-head can read minds. They tried to take you away from me because they thought I was going to hurt you."

"You'd never hurt me, Jasper." Bella says with complete conviction and I smile, cupping her cheek.

"Come on, I want to talk to the Cullens." I tell her and she nods her head, lifting her hands up. I place her on my hip, kissing her forehead and walking out of the room and down the stairs. As we enter the living room, I see the Cullens all taking their different places around the room. Carlisle and Esme are sitting together on the couch across from Peter and Charlotte. Rosalie and Emmett are standing, the brawny Cullen's arm around his mate. Alice is standing with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at me and Edward is standing by the door, looking uncomfortable. I take a seat on the sofa chair, Bella sitting on my lap.

"You sure we should talk about this with her around." Carlisle asks me, using vampire speed so Bella doesn't hear.

"She can handle it. She's seen and heard worse." I tell the Cullens, who frown, not understanding what I mean.

"Why don't you start with your side of your fucked up story, hm?" Peter asks, gritting his teeth.

"Well, Alice had a vision of you chasing a little girl in the forest. She saw that you have red eyes and thought you were going to attack the girl. We all came here to stop you." Carlisle explains and I sit there, appalled.

"You really think that I would feed on a child. Yes, I am back to feeding from humans to keep Bella safe. I'm taking extra precautions with her, because her safety is paramount." I tell them, my anger rising at the thought I would hurt a small child. Bella senses my anger and places a hand on my cheek, and it's almost like she absorbs my anger from me. I smile and turn my head, kissing her palm.

"I guess I'll begin by telling you how our Bella came into our lives." Charlotte says and Carlisle gives a gentle nod. "Peter and I were passing through Phoenix when we heard a nomad feeding. We were going to leave, when I heard a sob from a child and followed it. We found a vampire feeding on Bella's mom as she watched." Charlotte tells them bluntly, loud enough for Bella to hear, though it doesn't seem to affect her. She's come to peace with her mother and father's death, always saying that she's happy they're together again in heaven.

Esme and Rosalie gasp at this, shooting sympathetic glances towards Bella who absent-mindedly plays with the fingers of my right hand, not even batting an eye.

"She didn't have any other family that we could take her to, so we brought her home. About a month later, I called Jasper, wanting him to meet Little Bit. When they saw each other, it was like when any of us first see our mates...you just knew. Even Bella knew that they were mates." Peter explains, tightening his arm around Charlotte. Carlisle is extremely curious while Esme is looking at the little girl on my lap with a smile on her face. Rosalie has a mix of emotions running through her, I don't even have time to identify them. Emmett is smiling at me with a big grin on his face. Alice is outraged while Edward is confused, but he keeps glancing at Bella.

"Congrats, Jazz-man! It's a great feeling to find your mate, huh?" Emmett asks, Bella cracking a smile while looking at him. I can't help but smile at him, nodding my head before turning back to my Bella, breathing in her scent.

"This is absurd!" Alice erupts, Bella jumping and cringing away as Peter, Charlotte, and surprisingly, Rose all growl at her. I snarl loudly at her, tucking Bella's head under my chin to calm her while whispering sweet nothings to calm her down. "She's a child! She can't be your mate!"

"Well, she is. Get over it." Peter growls at her, seeing Bella fisting my shirt as she shakes in fear of Alice.

"This isn't right. Jasper, you're not mated to a _child_. You're just confused-" Alice snaps, while I continue to growl at her, feeling the fear rolling off my mate as Alice eyes her with disdain. Charlotte sees that I'm about to snap, so she takes over.

"Listen, pixiepire, you're scaring my daughter. Now how about you act mature, or I will personally throw you out of my house, got it?" Charlotte growls, turning into a full out Mama bear as her cub is threatened.

"Why didn't I see this?" Alice asks, rubbing her temples.

"I can't hear her." Edward mutters, staring at Bella. I growl at him as everyone looks over, the attention focusing on my Bella.

"What do you mean, son?" Carlisle asks Edward.

"I can't read her mind. In fact, I can't even read Jasper's anymore." Edward explains, everyone snapping their heads to look at Bella who looks down, uncomfortable under their stares. I let out a warning growl, which makes everyone glance away.

I have to say that I am ecstatic Edward can't read my Bella's mind. It gives me some reassurance that he won't invade her privacy, which I care about more than my own. I've gotten quite fond of disgusting Edward with the memories from war which don't bother me anymore.

"Has this ever happened before, Edward?" Carlisle asks and Edward shakes his head.

"Maybe she's blocking you guys." Emmett suggests as Alice and Edward look over to him in horror. Yeah, it's not so nice when you don't have your power that you used for control anymore.

"Bella, I think it's time for your bath and then bedtime." Charlotte says and Bella nods her head while I lean forward, kissing her temple.

"I'll be up to read you a bedtime story in a bit." I assure her and she nods, smiling at me. She gets down and walks over to Charlotte, taking her outstretched hand.

"Uh...do you need any help?" Rosalie asks her, Charlotte looking down to Bella.

"Would it be okay if Rose helped me get you ready for bed?" Charlotte asks and Bella looks over to Rose and nods her head, extending her hand towards Rosalie. The blonde ice queen looks like she could cry as she takes Bella's hand in hers.

"You're really pretty." Bella comments, Rosalie smiling down at her.

"Thanks, Honey, but you're much prettier." Rosalie says and Bella blushes, looking down as the two women lead her up the stairs. I watch with a smile as Rose is already captured by Bella.

"I can hear you again." Edward comments, confirming that Bella is indeed blocking them. It seems she can block Edward and Alice from me as well, but we'll get more into that in a couple of years.

"Jasper...I'm sorry, but I have to ask. It's difficult to think that you're mates when she's a child. Mates are very..." Carlisle trails off while I let out a loud growl, appalled at what he's suggesting.

Mates are very sexual in nature, especially newly mated pairs.

"Doc, you got it all wrong. Jasper doesn't lust after Bella. It's protective and he does love her, as she does him. There's no sexual feelings at all." Peter tells him as I growl.

"She's a fucking baby. Of course I'm not sexually inclined to her." I shake my head in disgust.

"I only wanted to make sure, Jasper. I've never heard of a vampire/human mated pair before, much less a vampire/child mated pair." Carlisle explains and I roll my eyes.

"Listen, I'll admit that I love her. More than anything in the entire world." I feel Alice's jealousy rise at this and I ignore it. "More than my own life, but it's not passionate or lustful."

"It looks like we were wrong." Esme admits, looking over to a sheepish Alice. "I'm happy and very proud of you, Jasper." It's then I get a good look at Esme, seeing that her eyes are now a burnt orange color. Did she feed off a human?!

"Yes." Edward answers my question and my eyes land on Emmett, seeing his eyes are more of an amber. What the hell went on?

"I think that it's time that we go." Carlisle says, looking over to Esme who nods. "We apologize for the misunderstanding. We'll take out leave, now."

I nod my head as Carlisle and Esme stand up, Alice shaking her head while glaring at me. I growl at her before standing up, radiating authority and some fear, needing to get my point across.

"Listen up and listen good, because this is your first and final warning - my first priority is keeping my human mate safe from everyone, so if any of you tell anyone about Bella, or if the Volturi finds out about her...I do not care who you are, I will hunt you down and kill you myself."

* * *

**Would you want some of Bella's POV from this chapter in the next one? Let me know with a review. What did you think of Bella telling Alice that Jasper is hers? What do you think of Rosalie with Bella?**

**I hit 300 followers. That's the most I've ever had on a story. Thank you so much!**

**Posted this chapter on Word Press. Pictures of the house are on there.**

**-Jalen-**


	9. A Place To Start

**Where I Belong**

**Chapter 9**

* * *

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Yellow Light by Of Monsters and Men_

**Bella Whitlock POV**

After Jasper sent me outside, I went over to the swings he built last summer. I look over to the mountains, the sun going down and darkening the sky. I like living here, because it snows a lot. The first time I ever saw snow was when we first came here, and Jasper would always play with me in it. Right now, it's a bit chilly outside, but it's not too bad. I look over to the forest and decide that I want to play hide and seek with Jasper. He always finds me, so I want to get a head start.

I giggle while running through the forest, hearing Jasper call out my name. I continue to run through the forest, trying to find a good hiding spot when I'm suddenly swept off my feet by someone. I can't help but scream, knowing that my Jasper will hear me and save me. I can tell by the cold skin that the person who is holding me is a vampire. Looking around, I see more vampires looking at me while I just beg the man holding me to let me go.

My Jasper then appears and my heart does a leap for joy, seeing him. He looks angry, very angry at these vampires, especially the one holding me. I call out his name and his black eyes soften. I can tell that his monster has taken over my Jasper, which is fine with me. His monster wouldn't hurt me, just like my Jasper wouldn't hurt me.

Jasper growls at the man holding me while I try to wiggle free of his strong grip. I don't like being in his arms, I want to run over to my Jasper. I want to be in my Jasper's arms. I hear Daddy's voice and turn my head, seeing him and Mama running towards us. Maybe they can tell the man to let me go.

Suddenly, his strong grip is gone and I run over to Jasper, feeling happy that I'm back in his arms. I can hear him growling at the people, but I just bury my face in his shoulder and hug him tight. I don't know why they tried to take me from my Jasper. He keeps whispering nice things like that I'm safe, that he'd never let anyone take me from him, that he'd never let anyone hurt me.

I couldn't really focus on anything they were say, but I heard the black-haired one say that Jasper was hers, I got really mad.

"Jasper is _mine_." I tell her, holding Jasper close. He's mine, not hers. I don't know why she thinks that he's hers.

I start to feel cold and Jasper notices this because all of a sudden, we're back inside the warm house. Jasper takes me up the stairs and changes me into a pair of warm, flannel pajamas before cupping my face. I still feel some tears falling from my eyes and Jasper brushes them away before telling me that him and that mean, black-haired girl were married like mommy and daddy. I don't like her, at all. He does tell me that he is mine, which helps me feel a little bit better.

He carries me downstairs with those other vampires and I move closer to Jasper, knowing he'd protect me if something happened and they tried to take me again. I don't really listen to what they are saying, but I feel happy sitting in my favorite place in the world - my Jasper's arms. I look over to that big man when he smiles at my Jasper, and I smile at him. He seems nice, and Jasper actually smiles at him.

Then that mean lady screams, scaring me and I know Jasper doesn't like that as he snarls at her. Mama, Daddy, and that pretty blonde woman all growl at her for scaring me. She tries to say that Jasper is hers, when he's not. He's mine. Jasper pulls me closer as she continues to yell and I cringe away from her. I really don't like her.

Then Mama said it was time to take my bath and I wanted to get out of that room and away from that black-haired lady, but I didn't want to leave Jasper. He assured me tha he would be up to read me a story and kissed my head.

That blonde lady asked Mama if she could help her with getting me ready for bed and Mama asked if she could. She seems very nice and doesn't seem to like the black-haired lady, so I nodded and offered my hand. I told her how pretty she was, and then she told me that I was prettier! I know she was just being nice, but I hope one day I could look like her.

When Mama was filling up the bath, the blonde lady helped me out of my pajamas. "What's your name?" I ask and she smiles at me.

"My name is Rosalie, but you can call me Rose." she tells me and smile.

"Your name is pretty. My name is Isabella, but you can call me Bella." I tell her and she chuckles, lifting me up and carrying me into the bathroom.

"I think your name is pretty, too." Rose tells me and I smile as she sets me in the tub.

"I don't like that black-haired lady...or the red-head." I comment, Mama dumping water over my head.

"Me neither. No one really likes Edward or Alice." Rosalie says with a snort while Mama chuckles.

After my bath, I pull on the same pajamas from before as Mama walks downstairs to get me some water. I hop up on my bed to wait for Jasper as I do every night.

"Rosalie, are you going to be here tomorrow?" I ask her as she looks a little shocked.

"Do you want me to?" she asks and I nod my head. I want to get to know Rosalie more, she seems like a nice person.

"Okay." Rosalie replies with a pretty smile on her face.

"Goodnight, Rose."

"Goodnight, Bella." she says, smiling as she walks out of my room. Daddy then walks into the room and places a kiss on my head, wishing me goodnight. Mama brings me a glass of water before wishing me a goodnight with a kiss and a hug.

Then my Jasper walks into my room.

* * *

**Jasper Whitlock POV**

I send the Cullens on their way, not before I get a nasty glare from Alice. She's really testing my patience with the way she's been acting. Her "vision" probably fucking traumatized my mate as if she didn't have enough shit to deal with. Those fucking Cullens better stay out of our lives, Emmett and Rose being an exception. Peter and Emmett are already joking around together while Rose is upstairs with Bella and Char.

I can't believe they actually came here, thinking I would hurt a little girl. It doesn't matter that they didn't know that the girl was my mate. Human blood or not, I would willingly die before I hurt a child. I was always the problem child. For forty years, I was the fuck-up. This last year and a half has been wonderful, being with people who have such faith in me.

Rose walks down the stairs with a smile on her face which I mirror, knowing exactly who put it there. "Your mate is adorable." she tells me, Emmett walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"I know." I smile at her, hearing my mate's heartbeat upstairs.

"She's gonna be a stunner when she's older, Jazz. Don't worry, Uncle Em will scare the boys off for you." Emmett winks as I roll my eyes, walking around them to upstairs. He won't have to scare any boys off, because _I _will gladly do it.

I walk upstairs and into Bella's room, seeing her smiling at me. I walk over and sit in the bed next to her, Bella immediately crawling into my lap. "Are you okay, my Angel?" She nods her head in response and lays her head on my chest. She yawns and I chuckle, kissing her forehead as she clutches the teddy bear tighter.

"Jasper, can you sing to me?" she asks, sleepily as I gently rock her.

"Of course. _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away..."_

* * *

**June 16, 1995**

**Jasper Whitlock POV**

Something is wrong with my Bella.

She's been acting really nervous for the last month, but I don't know what's wrong with her. I wish she would talk to me about it. I can't believe she'll be eight in a couple of months. Time is flying by so fast with Bella, and it's bittersweet.

I want to savor all these times when she's a child, but I also want to speed up time so our feelings could grow.

I find myself imagining the future with Bella, knowing that she's going to grow to be a wonderful person. I'll change her whenever she's ready so that we can spend an eternity together. I'll probably change her when she is eighteen, but I will ask when she would like to be changed. I will give her the choice.

I'm sitting in the living room reading when Bella comes in, dragging Peter and Charlotte along behind her. They frown in confusion, but walk over to the couch and take their seats. Bella is radiating determination, and a little nervousness, so I put down my book.

"What's wrong, Sweetheart?" I ask and she takes a deep breath.

"I want to go to school." Bella states, standing tall while trying to be confident.

"School?" I ask and she nods her head, anxious smile on her face. I hate saying no to Bella, but all I can think about is Maria snatching Bella away from me, some other vampire hurting her to get to me. The Volturi finding out about her. So my answer is, "No."

She widens her eyes as Peter and Charlotte look over to me, shocked. "B-but...but why?"

"Yeah, why?" Peter asks, raising an eyebrow. I glare at him before turning to Bella, whose face is scrunched up in confusion.

"Charlotte already homeschools you. Why would you want to go to school?" I ask her, knowing that I'm really just being a selfish asshole.

"I just want to go to school. Learn in a classoom with other kids, by a teacher." she says and I shake my head.

Teachers who could find have connections to vampires and find out that three vampires are raising a human. "No."

"Why?" she asks and I sigh, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I said so." I tell her and she frowns, crossing her arms defiantly.

"That's a stupid reason." Bella says and I get a stern look on my face.

"You're not going, Isabella. That's final." I tell her with finality, using her full name.

"Mama? Daddy?" she looks to Peter and Charlotte with pleading eyes. Charlotte nods for her to go upstairs and she her shoulders slump in defeat as she runs out of the room and up the stairs, slamming her door closed. I sigh and feel like shit, knowing I'm not on Bella's good side right now.

"Jasper, why can't she go to school?" Charlotte asks, confused and I look over to her.

"A child going to school with two red-eyed 'parents' is bound to bring up suspicion. Besides, what if someone finds out about her. A million things could go wrong." I explain and Charlotte shakes her head.

"She's lonely, Jasper." she tells me and I look confused, thinking that idea is absolutely absurd.

"She has us, why would she be lonely?"

"She needs friends her own age, friends who are not vampires. The only people she talks to is us. She should go to school, make human friends, and be a kid for God's sake!" Charlotte snaps, shaking her head.

"Her safe-" I try to defend and Peter rolls his eyes.

"Jasper, you can't keep her locked up in this house until the day you turn her. Enough of her childhood has been ripped away from her. Let her have this. Besides, we're thinking of moving, right? Small town schools are safe." Peter explains and I grit my teeth, knowing that they're right. I could sense that Bella was lonely, but I didn't want to believe it. Now I feel like a complete and selfish asshole. I just didn't want to share my Bella.

"Fuck..." I mutter, seeing Peter smile in victory. Sighing, I know I lost this battle and I run my hand through my blonde curls. "Alright, we'll send her to school. But, I want to approve of this school. We're going need a story."

"What if we keep the original story that we adopted after their parents died." Charlotte suggests and I nod, thinking that story is believable enough. "You could be my brother who lives with us. She could stay Bella Whitlock, and you could go back to being Jasper Hale?"

I know I can't keep her locked away forever until she's a vampire. I know it, but it doesn't stop me from liking the idea. Anything could happen to her out there, but she'll always be safe by my side. I'm being selfish, I know.

"Alright, I'll go tell Bella and you call Jenks." I tell them, standing up and walking up the stairs to my mate's room. I can feel the disappointment and sadness coming from the room and I curse myself, knowing that I'm the cause of those emotions.

"Bella, can I come in?" I ask, knocking on her door.

"Yes." I hear her soft voice say and I open the door to her room, seeing her sitting cross-legged on her bed, with her back to me. I close the door and walk over to her, seeing her looking down at her teddy bear." Jasper, if you really don't want me to go, I won't go." she tells me and I take a deep breath, shaking my head.

"We all talked and if you really want to go to school, you can go." I tell her and she turns her head to look at me, before extending her arms. A small smile curves my lips and I reach over, picking her up and placing her on my lap. "I know you really want this. I just...am a little overprotective of you. Angel, there are some other vampires who would love to take you away from me. I will never let that happen, but I just don't want to risk it." I tell her honestly, knowing that Bella is mature enough to understand.

"You'll always protect me. So will Mama, Daddy, Aunt Rose, Uncle Em..." she trails off, big eyes sparkling while I kiss her forehead.

"Yes, we will. No matter what." I assure her, tucking a curly lock behind her ear. "We talked about it and we're going to move so that you can go to school."

"Really?" she asks, smile spreading across her face and I nod my head. She throws her arms around my neck and hugs me tight as I return it.

"Thank you, Jasper." she tells me and I kiss her temple.

"You're welcome, Angel."

* * *

We got started on getting everything prepared so my Bella could go to school. We found a house in cloudy Gresham, Oregon that's completely private and surrounded by a gate. There's an elementary school close by for Bella. Pleasant Valley Elementary. In August, we moved into the house with Emmett and Rosalie getting their own place not too far away. They decided to take some time to themselves and have been living away from the Cullens for the last couple of years. They like to stay around us because of, who else, Bella. I swear, my girl captures the heart of everyone she meets.

Jenks sent us the paperwork, making me Jasper Hale again. We mostly kept the same story, with Peter and Charlotte adopting Bella after her parents died. We made Charlotte and I brother and sister to give a reason why I'm living with them.

We've already registered her for third grade and she starts on September 10. Bella has been bouncing all over the place with the prospect of starting school with other kids. I already know she's going to do great, considering how intelligent she is for an seven year old. _She's going to be fine _is what I keep _trying_ to tell myself. I'm always going to worry about her, though. I can't help it.

"Jasper!" My angel snaps me out of my thoughts, running over to me as Charlotte and Peter carry shopping bags in. I crouch down and scoop her up, placing her on my hip.

"Did you get everything you need?" I ask and she nods her head, the excitement rolling off her. She starts third grade tomorrow and then her birthday is in a couple of days. Has Bella really been with us for four years?

"Yes! I'm so excited!" Bella says and I chuckle, kissing her temple.

"Well, I'm glad, Darlin'." I reply and then turn towards Peter and Char.

"Come on, Baby Girl, let's go put away your new clothes." Char says and I set Bella back down on her feet.

"Okay, Mama." Bella says, grabbing a couple of bags from Peter before walking to her room. I sit back down on the sofa chair as Peter plops himself on the couch.

"Did you have fun shopping with the women?" I ask Peter, sarcasm dripping from my voice.

"I should be given an award or some shit. Eh, Charlotte promised a little reward for me, if you know what I mean." Peter says, wiggling his eyebrows while I roll my eyes. I've been shopping with Bella and Char, it's nothing compared to what Alice drug me through. Bella has gotten better on letting me spend money on her. Probably because she has no choice in the matter, so she rarely puts up a fight anymore.

"Yeah, I don't need to hear that." I mutter as Peter chuckles, turning on the tv. I go back to reading my book when I hear the front door open and a loud, booming voice reverberates around the house, almost shaking the windows.

"Knock knock! Anybody home?" Emmett yells, walking through the door as Rosalie smacks him on the head.

"Aunt Rose! Uncle Em!" Bella shouts, running down the stairs at full speed, before stumbling on the last couple of steps. Before I can make a move to catch her, Emmett already does, swinging her around.

"Careful, Bellarina! You don't want to trip and bust that pretty little face of yours." Emmett jokes, ticking her while Rose watches with a smile.

"Nuh-uh, I live in a house full of vampires who can catch me. There's a reason you have super speed!" Bella says as Emmettt laughs, putting her down. She then hugs Rosalie as the blonde vampire hugs her back, both of the McCarty's radiating familiar love to my mate.

Bella started calling them Uncle Em and Aunt Rose a little after the incident when she was five. They wanted to take some time away from the Cullens, namely Edward and Alice, and hung around us for a while. Bella took a liking to them quickly, and they did right back.

Rose always hated humans because of her jealousy of their humanity. She never wanted this life for herself, because she desperately wanted to have a child. I guess she found that she could help raise Bella with us until she's old enough to change. Surprisingly, she didn't disapprove of me wanting to change Bella. I remember her words,_ "I would be on a selfishness level rivaling the Cullens if I tried to keep you from changing Bella." _The ice queen was melted by a little girl.

Bella comes skipping back over to me and I smile, catching her in my arms and setting her on my hip. Peter tosses me something he pulled from a bag and tosses it to me. I catch it and examine the small white box.

"Colored contacts?" I ask and Peter nods his head.

"For tomorrow. They'll cover up our eye color for a couple of hours before the venom dissolves them." Peter explains and I nod my head, tossing the box back to him. "We got a bunch of boxes of them for this year."

"I'm gonna go start Bella's dinner." Char says, walking into the kitchen with Rose following behind. Emmett walks over and plops himself next to Peter, both of them joking with each other while watching tv. I sit with Isabella in my lap, her head tucked under my chin while I try to will myself to not worry about tomorrow. She will be fine.

* * *

**Sorry this is late. What did you think? Jasper being a _little _overprotective, but not of Edward proportions. Anyway, he's got more people after him than Edward. Maria's ass is still out there, vampires would love to get their hands on Bella to hurt him, the Volturi could be a problem. Can't blame him for being overprotective.**

**thanks so much for your favorites and follows and reviews.**

**Chapter will be posted on wordpress**

**I was looking through a couple of crossover stories and I am in love with Jasper/Hermione. Anybody else? I know it's weird, but I love it. It's badass because they're both war heroes. Whatever, I'm rambling like an idiot.**

**-Jalen-**


	10. They Say It's Your Birthday

**Where I Belong**

**Chapter 10**

* * *

_Song I listened to for this chapter:Birthday by The Beatles_

**September 10, 1995**

**Jasper Whitlock POV**

"Bella...it's time to wake up, Angel." I murmur to a sleeping Bella, seeing that it's seven am and she has school at eight. "Bella, come on. You have school today."

As soon as I say that, Bella's eyes snap open and she shoots up, stumbling out of bed as I catch her before she falls. Chuckling, I set her on her feet and kiss her forehead. "A little excited, are we?"

Bella blushes and nods her head, running into her bathroom, while the smell of her breakfast is permeating from the kitchen. I stand up and walk out of the room, letting Bella get ready for her day while I walk into mine. I quickly shower and change, before walking downstairs and into the kitchen.

I see Charlotte making Bella pancakes as I take a seat next to Peter at the table. "Little Bit's excited, huh?" Peter asks with a smile on his face. I nod in response as Emmett and Rose walk into the kitchen.

"Baby Bella's first day of school." Emmett says, wrapping his arms around Rosalie from behind.

"Yes, and she's going to be fine." Peter says, motioning to his "knower" with a pointed look in my direction. I roll my eyes in response, knowing that I'm gonna get shit from them for being too overprotective. Bella's footsteps come down the stairs and she walks into the kitchen. Emmett immediately scoops her up in a hug and swings her around.

"Uncle Em, put me down!" Bella giggles, as Emmett complies before she walks over to Rosalie, giving her a hug.

Peter kisses her head before she walks over to her breakfast, digging right in.

"Bellarina, are you excited for school?" Emmett asks as she nods her head, the excitement, but also some anxiety radiating off her.

"You'll do amazing. All of those other kids don't know what's coming." Emmett tells Bella who smiles at him, finishing her breakfast.

"What if they don't like me?" she asks, her anxiety spiking while I reach over and pull her to my lap.

"Don't think like that, Bella. They'll love you, just like we do." I tell her, but she still frowns in worry.

"Yeah, Bellsy, just look at my Rosie. She doesn't like anybody, but she likes you- OW!" Emmett says, Rosalie smacking him on the back of the head which makes Bella giggle.

"Bella, you're such a wonderful person. What's not to like?" Rose asks while Bella shrugs, not really believing her words.

"Angel, don't worry if the other kids don't like you. You're an amazing person, and if they don't like you then they're either bad people, or they're just jealous of you." I try to reassure her. But, honestly, who the hell could not love my Bella?

"Okay, Jasper." Bella nods her head with a smile, while I kiss her cheek.

"Alright, Baby Girl, go get your book bag. We gotta leave." Charlotte says and Bella hops down from my lap, running up the stairs.

* * *

Peter pulls up to the school and Bella unhooks her seatbelt, Jasper opening the car door for her as all the vampires get out. "Do you want us to go in with you?"

Bella widens her eyes and shakes her head, "Do you see any other kids my age with their parents walking them in?"

Peter chuckles, while holding his hands up in surrender. When we registered Bella for school, Charlotte and Bella took a tour so Bella knows where her classroom is. Charlotte said she got many dirty looks because of her wearing her sunglasses inside, making some bullshit excuse about the eye doctor. Peter crouches down, kissing Bella's cheek before Charlotte pulls her in for a hug and a kiss.

Bella then turns to me and I kneel on the floor, Bella throwing her arms around my neck as I hug her back. "Good luck, Angel. You'll do great."

"Thank you, Jasper. I love you."

"I love you too, Bella. I always will." I reply, pulling back and kissing her forehead. Charlotte hands Bella her backpack and swings it on her back, taking a deep breath and walking to the doors. Peter places his arm around Charlotte, both of them looking a little bittersweet as I watch my Bella walk towards the school.

Before she walks in, she turns around and makes eye contact with me, flashing a bright smile and waving. I return it before she walks in the school, disappearing from sight.

We all get in the car as Peter pulls away from the school. Thankfully, the pull has gotten better for Bella and I. We can be apart for a bout six hours before it starts to become painful. I just hope that she's okay and enjoys the school. If not, we'll pull her out and continue home schooling her.

The car ride is silent, all of us feeling a little bittersweet about Bella going to school. She hasn't left our sides in four years, so now it's weird. I'm used to keeping Bella close to me, only leaving when I have to hunt. It feels odd not having her at my side, but I know that she needs space. She needs to make some human friends. She needs to be a human child.

I just worry about someone finding out about her. I don't want them to take her away from me. I would do anything, kill anyone, to get her back to me if we were ever apart. Okay, I'll admit, I'm possessive of what's mine. Bella is mine, but that doesn't mean I'll handle her like some toy.

She's my mate. My equal. My love. My happiness. My serenity. My dream girl. Mine.

As a mated female, she will always have a say in decisions, but as the male, I will have the final say. That's just how it goes. In every mated couple I know - Peter and Charlotte, Emmett and Rose, Eleazar and Carmen, even Carlisle and Esme. It's just how it is in vampire world.

As I walk into my study, I try to occupy the time until Bella comes home by organizing all of my important papers that document the various houses and bank accounts I have around the world. I've acquired a vast fortune over the last century, and since I've lived with the Cullens for the last forty years, I never spent much. There's one thing I'll thank Alice for - using her gift in the stock market. That gave all of us more money that we know what to do with.

I try to take my time, carefully alphabetizing everything and meticulously placing it in the right spot. I then open my desk, seeing the special present for Bella. I open the box, pulling out the lovely piece of jewelry.

It's an antique locket, with the Whitlock crest engraved into it. I distinctly remember when I made the crest with Peter and Charlotte, before I practically ignored them at the request of my ex-wife. The red color of the locket represents a warrior, the Raguly line represents difficulties that have been encountered. The symbols on the crest - the eagle representing a noble strength and bravery while the sword is justice and military honor. Finally, the trefoil represents perpetuity and the bow shows readiness for battle. It took a couple of months for the jeweler to make it, but it was well worth the wait. I open it, a smile spreading across my face as I put a picture of Bella and I from last year on one side , and when she's older, I hope to add one to the other side.

I place the locket back in the box and put it back in my desk, glancing over at the clock and feeling some relief when I see that it's an hour until Bella gets out of school. I walk downstairs, seeing Charlotte and Peter sitting in the living room with Emmett and Rose, watching tv.

"Oh, finally you come down. I thought you were going to brood in your room until 3:00." Peter snarks as I smack him on the back of the head.

"I wasn't brooding, asshole. I organized my study." I tell him and he rolls his eyes.

"Idle hands are the devil's playground, huh? Your study didn't need to be organized anymore, you just want to keep your mind off Little Bit not being here. What are you gonna do for the next one hundred and seventy-nine days, Major?" Peter smirks as I glare at him, sending my irritation.

"He's right, Major. You're gonna need something to occupy your time since Baby Girl will be at school for eight hours." Char tells me and I sigh, knowing she's right. I can't just sit around the house, waiting for her to come home.

"Rosie and I were thinking of applying at University of Portland. Why don't you go to school with us?" Emmett tells me.

"You could take a couple of classes in the morning and be back in time for Bella to get out of school." Rose suggest and I frown, considering their idea. It's a good one, and it would pass the time that Bella is at school.

"Alright. We'll apply tomorrow." I tell them and they smile, nodding their heads before focusing back on the tv.

* * *

At 2:45, I practically run to my truck to pick Bella up from school. Peter and Emmett snicker at my eagerness, but I just flip those goofballs off, not really caring what they think. I pull into the school and lean against the truck while waiting for Bella. I hear the bell ring and a couple of moments later, a bunch of kids pile out of the school. I look around, seeing a couple of moms looking at me with lust while I grimace, pleading with Bella to get out here. I finally see her exit the doors with a red-headed girl who looks to around her age. They're both laughing with each other before Bella turns her eyes to me, her smile widening as she waves. I return it as the red-head catches this and turns to my Bella.

"Who's that?" she asks and Bella turns back to her.

"That's Jasper. He's my...mom's brother." Bella says, remembering the story we told her.

"So, he's your uncle?" she asks and I can't help the grimace that flashes across my face. Uncle? No way.

"No, I'm adopted." Bella tells the girl who nods, looking over to the school bus.

"Oh, okay. I'll see you tomorrow, Bella!" the red-head says, waving.

"Bye, Kate!" Bella says before turning to me and running over, right into my open arms.

"Ahh, there's my Angel. How was school?" I ask and she beams, her giddy emotions attacking me with a force.

"Jasper, I had so much fun!" Bella exclaims and I kiss her forehead, chuckling.

"Well, I'm glad, Sugar. Come on, tell me all about it in the car." I say, opening the back door and helping Bella up into the large truck. She buckles herself in and I walk over to the driver side, sliding in. Pulling out of the parking lot, Bella starts with her tale of what happened today.

"I made a couple of friends. That girl, Kate, she's new too. She just moved here from Montana. Then there's this boy, Brian, he's really nice. He sits next to me in class and he told me that his dad was in the Army, but he retired so they moved back to Oregon three years ago. My teachers are really nice and Mrs. Audio told us what we're going to be learning this year, and it's all stuff Charlotte already taught me. Then she said we're going to go on a couple of field trips this year. She said in November, we're going to a museum in Portland. We're also gonna go to the zoo!" Bella tells me and I chuckle, listening to and feeling her enthusiasm while pulling up the house. "Jasper, how was your day?" she asks as I help her out of the car, grabbing her green back pack.

"It was pretty boring, but I got some news. Em, Rose, and I are going to be going to school, too."

"Really? Aren't you too old for that?" Bella asks and I playfully glare at her as she giggles, before I scoop her off her feet and sling her on my shoulder. "Jasper!"

"What?" I ask, innocently as she wiggles, laughing all the way to the house. I place her down as she playfully glares at me, only adding to my amusement. Even while glaring, she looks adorable.

"Bella's home!" Emmett yells, Bella jumping at the sound as he and Rose walk over hugging her.

"Group hug!" Peter yells, running over and wrapping his arms around everyone, Bella right in the middle of that vampire sandwich.

"I need air!" Bella says, all of the vampires letting her go as she gasps for breath.

"Sorry, Bellarina. We just missed you!" Emmett says and Bella rolls her eyes. She then runs around Emmett and into Charlotte's open arms.

"How was school, Baby Girl?" Charlotte asks and Bella smile wide.

"I had so much fun!" Bella exclaims, Charlotte smiling even more.

"Come on, I made you a snack." Charlotte says, disappearing with Bella into the kitchen.

The next day after dropping Bella off at school, Rose, Em, and I drive over to University of Portland to apply. After getting all of the information we need, we drive home so I could make a few phone calls to Jenks about Rose and Emmett's information. They're actually going back to being McCarty's, so I need to get them all new documents without the name Cullen on them.

After making a few phone calls, I look through the information I received today. I decided to apply for the Physics program, figuring it's something I haven't gotten a degree in yet. I've gotten a couple in sociology and psychology, but I wanted to take a science and math class.

I do enjoy going to college, though. I just hated that with the Cullens, we also went to high school. It was irritating to be around all of those humans with my siblings who were also surrounded by humans. Luckily for them, I took away their blood lust so they would be fine.

I glance over at the clock, smiling when I see that it's time to go pick up Bella. I grab my car keys and exit my study, ready to go pick up my Bella.

* * *

**September 13, 1995**

"Happy birthday, Bella!" Everyone yells as they walk into my angel's room to wake her up. I'm holding her in my arms as she rubs her eyes, sleepy smile on her face.

"Thank you." she says, and I'm thankful that it's Saturday, so I can spend all day with my girl.

"Get ready and come downstairs so you can have breakfast." Charlotte says and Bella nods her head, everyone walking out of her room so she can get ready. I look down at my Bella, who's smiling at me.

"Happy birthday, Angel." I tell her and she wraps her arms around my neck, hugging me.

"Thank you, Jasper."

"What do you want to do today?" I ask and she shrugs with a small smile.

"I just want to spend it with you guys." Bella replies and I smile. Like me, she enjoys simple things like spending time with family. She's not one for extravagance, and I like that.

So, we spend the whole day together with each of us spend some personal time with Bella. Char cooks Bella her favorite meals while she plays play station with Emmett. Rose sits behind her, braiding her hair.

"Em, stop cheating!" Bella yells as Emmett mocks innocence.

"Baby Bells, I'm offended that you would think I'm cheating!" Emmett says, and I roll my eyes, knowing that he's using his speed to win against her. Peter and I glance at each other and smirk, running over to Emmett and pinning to the ground, as he tries to throw us off.

"Yes!" Bella yells as she crosses the finish line first. Peter and I smirk at each other, getting up off of Emmett, who is pissed.

"That's cheating!" Emmett yells like a child while I walk over to Bella, placing her on my shoulder as she revels in victory.

"I didn't tell them to do that!" Bella says, giggling while I just smirk at Emmett.

"Yeah, yeah, well, I want a rematch." Emmett challenges Bella who crosses her arms, smirk on her face that she learned from Peter.

"Bring it on, Uncle Emmy." Bella says and Peter chuckles.

"That's my girl." Peter says, smug smile on his face while he radiates pride.

"Hey, children and Rose, rematch later. Bella's dinner is ready." Char says and I take Bella down, carrying her into the kitchen. After her dinner, Charlotte brings out her cake and we all sing_ happy birthday _to Bella.

"What'd you wish for, Bellarina?" Emmett asks Bella, who is sitting on my lap and Rosalie rolls her eyes.

"She can't tell you, or else it won't come true."

"I didn't wish for anything. I have everything I could ever wish for." Bella says, looking over her shoulder to me with a bright smile on her face. I smile and place a kiss on her head. I feel the same way. I slip out of the kitchen and walk upstairs and into my study to get Bella's present. Grabbing it out of my desk, I walk back downstairs and into the kitchen when the doorbell rings. All of us exchange confused glances, not knowing who would be here until we catch their scent. Cullens.

My rage grows and the shudders close over my eyes before I hear the door open and a small gasp from Bella, making me flit over towards the door. I grab Bella and place her behind me, Peter, Charlotte, Emmett, and Rose all forming a barrier around us as I hold my Bella close to me, the Major is beating his cage.

**_Let me end them, once and for all! Let me out, Jasper!_**

I try to keep my composure, knowing I won't be able to identify enemy from friend under my Major haze, only Bella will be safe. Making sure my mate is safe, I raise my black eyes to the last vampires I ever want to see.

"Happy birthday, Bella." Alice says, with a sickly smile on her face. Edward standing next to her, staring right at my Bella.

* * *

**What do those assholes want? Lord, it's the girls birthday.**

**Guess who's going to start a Jasper/Hermione story soon? Jalen is! I've already started outlining it. Yay! And I'm gonna keep the same timeline as Harry Potter so it'll start at the end of Phoenix. Would anybody be interested in reading it? Oh, and while we're on the matter of Harry Potter, anyone know any good Dramione stories? I can't find any that don't make me want to rip my hair out.**

**Chapter will be posted on Word Press.**

**Thanks a bunch**

**-Jalen-**


End file.
